The Lone Wanderer of the Wastes
by TheLoneWandereroftheWastes101
Summary: Daenerys story continues in Part 2
1. Chapter 1

The Lone Wanderer of the Wastes  
PART 2  
1  
The Rivet City market is more crowded than usual. Most of the population of the ship seems to be in here. Plus there are traders, caravans, and wastelanders here from all over to trade their findings to make a shiny cap or two. Most will quickly spend it on a watered down shot of whiskey down stairs in the Muddy Rudder. I am surprised I am not down there myself. Instead I am sitting on unsteady barstool at Gary's Galley. But the uncomfortable bar stool is not even what is annoying my mind at the moment.  
I drink a Nuka Cola instead of alcohol. The fear of dad seeing me with booze is too strong to get over. Oddly enough, the thought of a drink makes me feel ill. Even with my Nuka Cola I am barely taking small sips as I stare off the ground behind the counter.  
I find myself dreading the last comment I made to dad before I left the room. It has been two hours since I last seen him and I feel unsteady about the moment when we have to face each other again. Dad and I never get into fights. In fact I don't seem to recall a fight we had before this one.  
I sip my Nuka Cola. The soda is flat and I just leave it there on the counter. I stare at the last bubbles float to the surface. Sighing, I listen to the ongoing chatter that bounces the metal walls. I rest my head on my palm. From the corner of my eye I see a kid sit next to me. I don't bother looking at the kid. I already know who the hell it is. James Hargrave.  
"Hey." He says in an annoying tone. I don't move. He groans. "Hey!" he yells. Sighing I looked at the young boy too irritated to say anything. He glares at me. He does look a lot like Butch, but maybe I am mistaken by the identical personalities that they have.  
"You are the lady who rammed into me the other day." He exaggerates. I raise my brows.  
"Kid, I did not ram into you. I accidently stumbled into you. No need to make a fuss over it." I remark. He sits up a little straighter, possibly trying to puff out his chest like a rooster. I sigh. And look away.  
"Hey, nosebleed!" he yells. I snap my head to him. _Nosebleed._ Flashbacks of being a child in the vault snapback in my mind.  
_Butch is standing over me. We are about seven or eight. Butch is beating me for a remark I say before class in the morning.  
"Butch, I may be a daddy's girl but you are only jealous cause yours never loved you." I snap._  
I agree that the comment was very… deep and I even regret it to this day. But he pushed me so far into anger I don't think I have ever been that angry. Him and Wally wouldn't stop teasing and laughing at me while I walked to class.  
_"Baby! Cry to your daddy? Waaaah!" Wally mocks. _  
About a few days before this incident, Butch punched me in the chest and I cried. I ran back to dad's office for comfort. They saw me run to him.  
_"You want a pacifier you big baby? You are such a daddy's girl!" Butch howls. Wally laughs as he points vulgarly.  
"Stop!" I mumbled loudly. They continue to laugh. I bite my lip and keep walking.  
"Why? We are having fun! Come on you bug dork! You're going to cry to daddy again?" Butch asks. I stop and look to the floor. I shake my head and hug my books closer.  
"Really? Because that's what babies do!" Wally laughs. I glare at him.  
"Daddy's girl!" Butch laughs as he points.  
_Now, I don't know why he was so amused that I was a daddy's girl. Or how it was humorous. But it angered me, like it meant I was weak and the baby thing just pushed my nerves over the edge.  
_ We arrive at the door to the class. I am so relieved that I let out a sigh .But Butch gets in my way before I could continue walking into the classroom. He hits my books out of my hands.  
"Hey!" I yell.  
"Daddy's girl! Daddy's girl! Daddy's girl!" Butch teased as he pointed. I groaned with frustration.  
""Butch, I may be a daddy's girl but you are only jealous cause yours never loved you!" I scream. He stops laughing. I could swear I saw all the blood drain from his face. He grew completely serious, as if he had never laughed once in his life. Even Wally looked terrified.  
"You better take that back, nerd. Or I am going to make you." He warns. I stick my tongue out at him.  
"Bite me, Butch." I say. Our teacher, Mr. Brotch comes out of the classroom, possible because he heard me screaming at Butch.  
"Kids, get in the classroom or else I will have to mark you tardy." He warns looking suspiciously looking at me and Butch. We both nod attentively. When Mr. Brotch turns around I stick my tongue out at Butch.  
"You are going to get it." He whispers before sitting at his desk. For the first time I wasn't scared of his threat. It wasn't until after class that I really thought about it.  
So that brings up when Butch is hitting me on the ground. Wally and Paul are cheering him on. Clapping and yelling like tiny savages, they jumped for joy when Butch punched me in the nose which started to bleed.  
At that moment I see Amata with Officer Kendall, Officer Hannon and Officer Wolfe. The officers scream at the boys to stop. They marched over to us.  
Butch had his grip on my collar and his fist up ready to punch me again. Instead of laying another one on me, he pulls me up close to his face.  
"This isn't over, Nosebleed!" he threats. I looked in his eyes for a moment as he did my mine. He could see my pain, fear and anger. I could see his pain, anger and his how dark his light blue irises seem to be.  
The officers pull the kids away and take them somewhere. I lie back on the floor and breathe slowly. Amata comes to my side. She kneels and helps me sit up. But I wave her away. In a time when I was at my weakest I didn't want her to see it. I stand up.  
"Are you okay?" she asks with concern and worry in her voice. I wave her away once again as I brush myself off.  
"I'm fine Amata, thanks. I think I will go to my dad now."  
_Butch called me Nosebleed ever since then. I haven't thought of the name since he last called me by that name. It felt like I was jolted with electricity when James called me that. Almost as if he not only brought the memories back, but the feelings that I felt at the time. I also thought of the night with Wolfgang and how I thought of Butch all through the night, how I refuse to believe the mixed emotions that were brought to my attention after I pushed them back so far in my mind.  
I look a James with a fierce glare. Just by changing my look I could see him shift a little. _Was that fear? Or intimidation?_ I didn't care to know, I didn't want to know.  
"Look you little bastard, if you call me that one more time I will fucking make your life as miserable as the bums that sit out of this city, got it?" I menace. He gives me a scowl.  
"Whatever, asshole." He scorns. He gets up and leaves. I take another drink from my Nuka Cola, but when the drink pours into my mouth I remember it taste like shit. It isn't worth the rads. I slam the drink down on the counter  
I look over the counter. I see a girl, who is about my age, sweeping behind the counter. I don't know who she is or her name for that matter.  
"Hey." I say. She looks up with her piercing blue eyes. Her hair is blonde and is neatly tied up into a bun. She stops sweeping and sets the broom against the wall. Walking towards me smiles while giving me a questioning look.  
"Another Nuka Cola." I say. She looks at my half full bottle and looks back up at me. After a few moments of eye contact, she takes her hands off the counter and slowly strolls to the fridge. As she walks back she opens the Cola and places it next to my half-filled one.  
"Name is Angela; just ask me if you need anything else." She says with a smile.  
I give her five caps. Sliding her hand over the caps and dropping them behind the counter to catch them in her hand, she twitches her head to move the loose strands of her hair out of her face. She places the caps in the cash register.  
"Hey, Angela." I say after taking another drink from my Nuka Cola. She walks back to me, sighing as she places her hands on the counter.  
"Yes?" she asks impatiently.  
"What's up with that Hargrave kid?" I ask. When she sighed, she had a pitied look in her face. As if she disapproved of something she shook her head.  
"Poor kid. He acts so mean because his mom, Tammy, is a bitch. All she does is drinks. His dad left a long a time ago and I think she blames it on James. I think she hits him." She says. I bite my lip.  
Fuck, I think, this is exactly like Butch.  
"He just needs someone who appreciates him, someone who understands him." she continues. I nod. She looks to my right. I follow her gaze.  
"Uh oh, speaking of the devil." She whispers. I hear Angela walk away slowly. Tammy was walking over where I was. She was smoking a cigarette and holds and empty whiskey bottle. She stumbles and plops down on a bar stool.  
"Angela! Come an-and get me a drink, will ya?" she stutters. Angela nods and opens the fridge. I don't stop staring at Tammy.  
"What the hell are you looking at? Does it look like I have something to show?" She angrily says. _  
No much.  
_"No. But you already seem enough to drink." I say. She chuckles and calls me a nasty name under her breath.  
"You… you'd… you don't know what the hell you are talking about." She hesitates. "You sound like Belle. The bitch cuts me off before I even get remotely buzzed." She says. I don't know if she notices herself swaying her head around. I don't like this bitch.  
"Have you seen the top of the ship? It's lovely, especially on windy days." I say. I hear Angela laugh behind the counter.  
"Oh you think you are funny aren't ya? Well, I got news for you; I am not drunk I would not fall over this boat." She slurs. I smirk.  
"Want to test that?" I ask. She gets up off of her bar stool and walks over to me with her bottle. She stumbles.  
"Fuck you!" she spits. Her bottle clanks on the floor. I start to wipe the spit off my face when Angela set a shot down. Tammy looks down at the drink up at Angela and then to me. She grabs the drink and splashing it in my face.  
"Drink it, bitch!" demands Tammy. I sigh and get up. We are close I could smell her breath that reeked with alcohol.  
"Hey, Tammy!" a security guard yells. Tammy turns she is smiling when she looks at me. I glare. I could feel Angela's tension irradiating off of her body.  
"Ah, Harkness. Glad you are here! Lock this bitch up." She smirks. I chuckle.  
"Stupid son of a bitch." I mutter. I place my hands on my hips. Harkness looks at me and hands me a napkin.  
"Get out of here Tammy." He says. I wipe my face of what I think was Scotch, but I wasn't quite sure.  
"You think I am the bad guy in this problem? She's the one wanting to push me off the top of the ship!" she yells.  
"Tammy gat out of here before I remove you myself." Harkness warns. She scoffs.  
"Fuck you!" she offends while pointing in his face. Then she stumbles away while mumbling to herself.  
Harkness looks at me. I start wiping my hands.  
"Sorry about that, she isn't real good with liquor. Most of the residents aren't." he explains. I nod while trying not to laugh, but I let a smile pass.  
"I didn't notice." I sarcastically remark. He laughs and nods in agreement. When Harkness smiles, I notice how young he looks. He actually has bright green eyes. They were intriguing.  
"I believe we haven't met. I'm Harkness." He says holding out his hand for a handshake. I smile down at his hand.  
"I am Daenerys, just call me Danny." I introduce. I shake his hand. He smiles. When he lets go he says goodbye to me and Angela. I sit back at the counter.  
"Well he was smitten." Angela says. I look up at her and frowned.  
"I have no idea what you are talking about." I lie coyly. She laughs and nods.  
"Okay, whatever." She says. Trying to change the subject, I try to think of another conversation. Or I could not talk. Even though that's what I would prefer, I could see Angela isn't going anywhere. I sigh.  
"So what about you?" I ask. She looks at me puzzled for a moment but then soon blushes. Fumbling with her hands and biting her lip, I could tell there was someone. That's the way I looked when I thought about Freddie.  
"Who is it?" I ask. Chuckling, she looks at the floor. I wait for her response and it is a while before she says anything.  
"Diego. I love him, but… he isn't interested because of my age and…" she trails off looking sad. I lean in closer.  
"And…?" I ask. She frowns and taps her foot.  
"…and because he is becoming a priest. He can't fall in love. He has to stay true to his religion." She says.  
"Hmmm." I say. She nods. Defeated, I take a drink of my Nuka Cola. I could taste some alcohol. Some of the shot that Tammy threw at me must have spilled in here. I groan. I spin the bottle around looking at the liquid swoosh around.  
"What's the matter?" a familiar voice asks behind me. I turn to see my dad weakly smiling at me. I say nothing but shrug. He sits next to me. He chuckles to himself as if he thought of something funny.  
"What?" I ask. He laughs. I couldn't help but smile. I haven't seen laugh, I mean really laugh, in a long time.  
"You just… you remind me so much of her. Your determination. You know your stubborn trait did not only come from Me." he says. My smile widens. His smile does too.  
"You know. I thought a lot about what you said. I think you are right. I think that she would have wanted you to help me. I think that would make her proud." he says.  
"So what do you say? Come with your dad to Project Purity?" he asks. I smile and nod.  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." I say. I wrap my arms around him. I close my eyes and rest my head on his shoulder. He moves his head to kiss my cheek. Then he whispers in my ear, "That's my girl!"


	2. Chapter 2

2  
I am told that when you shoot something, it stays dead. I guess that fact doesn't apply the wasteland, or to super mutants. When we arrive at Jefferson's Memorial, it is swarmed with super mutants. Dad helps me take out the few that were outside. Clearly they were defenseless with their nail boards, because we took them out before they even got close to us. When we enter the Memorial there isn't a super mutant in sight.  
Everyone heads to the rotunda. Dad and I are acquainted with a group of scientist that he apparently worked with 20 years ago.  
"Dad is there anything I could do to help?" I ask. He shuffles papers on top of a machine and looks around.  
"Um, yeah there is, I need you to go down in the basement. I need you to turn off the flood control pump power. It's in the room left of the bunk area. Come back when you do I will give you some fuses to replace the damaged ones." He orders. He is still scrambling with papers and typing information into the machines.  
I nod and leave the rotunda. When I walk out of the rotunda I see other scientist. They have clipboards quickly scribbling notes on paper and are intensely in their work. I find the door that leads to the basement.

As I walk through the basement, it reminds me of what the Metro tunnels looked like. Memories of the insane raiders go through my mind. It might have been only days ago, but it felt like it was years ago. As I make it to the bunk area I turn into the tunnel on the left side of the room.  
I continue to think about what we will do after Project Purity is complete. Will we go back to the Vault? Not likely. I don't think they would exactly greet us with open arms. Would we settle in Rivet City? Megaton? Or would we spread Project Purity across the Wastes?  
I must have been too deep in thought because quickly I am lost. I turn back the way I came. The tunnels are dark but I see a light up ahead. I walk towards it. The light is coming from a bedroom. I look around. There are holotapes on the coffee table. I take them and download them on my Pip-Boy to listen to them later.

When find the flood pump switch, I click the switch and I talk on the intercom. Before I say anything I take a deep breath.  
"Okay dad, got the switch coming up!" I say. I unclick the button and I hear a moment of static and then my father's voice.  
"Alright, I got the fuses come on up." He says. Even though it wasn't a comment with any pride, which I didn't expect, but I could hear the proudness in his voice.  
I run back up to the rotunda. But before I entered the rotunda I hear something from behind me. It started with a groan.  
"I can't believe James all the sudden comes back and brings his little brat along. He better know what he is fucking doing." I hear a snooty voice say. I froze. I hear the same man sigh. Biting my lip hoping that was enough to cease the anger firing up in me.  
_Fuck it._  
I furiously march over to the man in the blue jumpsuit. His back is to me. I thought as I walked over it poke him or forcefully turn him around. I think you know which one I chose. Grabbing his shoulder I pull him around.  
"Who the fuck are you?" I question wrathfully. He looks down and up at me. This man, whoever he was, was about a foot taller than me. I wasn't very tall, but I was taller than others. Five feet and five inches.  
"Daniel. Daniel Agincourt. And don't tell me who you are, I already know." He says with the same tone as before. I suck in my cheeks and tighten my lips. My face was red with anger.  
"Yeah I am the little brat that my dad brought along on this little adventure. My dad is a good man and doesn't fucking disrespect him. He is the only one that didn't give up on Project Purity, in the Vault he was still looking on how to make the purifier work while all of you were sitting around with your heads up your asses." I say.  
"You know I hope you are right. I hope your fucking dad knows what he was doing instead of bringing us out here for no reason and die from more super mutants." He says.  
"Look you stupid son of a bitch, I am the only reason why you guys could enter here and continue with your work." I retort.  
"Well good for you for saving the fucking day. You know we should praise the doctor's brat! How does that does that sound?" Daniel says. I was so mad I was about to rip out my assault rifle when I feel someone grab my arms pulling me back. I keep my glare at Daniel. I hear dad's voice coming behind me.  
"Tread lightly, Daniel, you don't want to be on the other side of her barrel. She knows how to use it." My dad says to Daniel. Daniel keeps the pissed look on his face and glares at me. dad pulls my away but soon I am walking my own.  
When we enter the rotunda, dad sighs and stops me from walking. He looks at me with a serious face.  
"You shouldn't have done that." He says. I raise my eyebrow. Crossing my arms I shake my head with disbelief.  
"Dad he is an asshole. He has no respect for this project. Instead he complains." I say. He shakes his head.  
"Well, you should keep your nose out it." He says. I scoff.  
"He completely disrespects you. Says the project failing is your fault. And I… well set the record straight." I say looking down. when I look up I see my dad smiling. He walks over to a table with the fuses. He hands them to me.  
"Replace the damage fuses. They are located in the fuse box in the end of the basement follow the signs that say Fuse Access A1." He says. I nod at the instruction.

When I replace the fuses, I hear dad over the intercom.  
"Okay what I want you to do next is to boot up the mainframe. Go back to the upper level of the basement. The door is now unlocked and then go on the terminal and put turn the switch on." He says.  
"Okay dad, on my way." I say. I walk up the stairs that are connected to the bunk area. I walk up the stairs and see a door with a bright green light flashing above of the door.  
I open the door. As the door opens I hear the low hum of machines working. Walking to the terminal I click on the computer. Surprising me it doesn't have a password. I click on the boot up main frame and the hum becomes louder. I go back up to dad.

"You need scrap metal?" I ask. Dad rubs his stub around his jaw. He nods with certainty. I looked at the door.  
"We need to repair some broken equipment. Some of the machines won't work without it." He says. I nod.  
"Okay know of any palces where I can get some scrap metal?" I ask. I look at him with my arms crossed. I don't want to leave the project so soon, but I will be back quickly.  
"There's an old scrapyard northeast of the vault entrance. You will find lots of scrap metal." He says. I sigh and nod.  
"Okay, well, I will hurry back." I say. He smiles while nodding approvingly.  
"That's my girl." He remarks.  
I give him a hug before leaving the memorial. I make my way to Megaton before leaving for the scrapyard, I wanted to say hello to someone.


	3. Chapter 3

3

I arrive at Megaton at dusk. As the same as last time, I am greeted by the sheriff and mayor, when the need arises, of Megaton.  
"Welcome back." he greets with a smile. I smile back. He crosses his arms. I nod. When I look down the steep hill. There is a big bomb in green water. I noticed it before, but I never learned the story behind it.  
I look over to Lucas Simms, my expression is already questioning.  
"What's the deal with the bomb? Is it active?" I asked. He nods and sighs when he looks down. I wait for his response.  
"Yeah, no one will disarm the thing because they are either going to set it off or they are a part of the church of Atom." He explains. I am puzzled.  
"The Church of Atom?" I ask. He nods.  
"They worship the god damn thing. Think it's some kind of god. So no one will disarm the thing so it sits there, ticking away." He says.  
_A ticking time bomb._  
"Would you allow me to disarm it?" I ask. He looks at me and chuckles.  
"Whatever you want to do, and if you do it I will give you two hundred caps." He offers. I nod and smile.  
"Deal." I say.  
"Good. You might to talk to Moria Brown up at Craterside Supply, she might be able to let you barrow some tools." He says. I nod and head up the rail. Night is coming soon and I wonder if I should disarm an atom bomb at night. I worked with Stanley in the Vault ever since I was ten. Being his assistant was my first and most occurring vault responsibility.  
I know a lot of stuff about repairing, explosives and science, most than other people. But nothing as advance as an atom bomb.  
But I mean I have been around explosives before, like when I put firecrackers in Butch's toilet. Ah that was a good day. But firecrackers and atom bombs are totally different.  
I enter Craterside Supply, and see the woman with startling red hair.  
"Hi there don't mind the smell! Just, ya know a chemical reaction, but it's perfectly safe! Really!" She chirps. I look at her with some concern.  
"Um, Lucas Simms says I could barrow some tools." I say. She nods and brings out a rusty tool box.  
"Oh sure! What are you going to be doing?" She asks. She sets the tool box on the counter. I clasp my hands on the sides of the metal tool box. I break eye contact. I couldn't look at her bright red hair. It was like it was radioactive or something.  
"I'm… going to disarm the bomb." I say. She looks up and smiles as if I am a three year old.  
"Ooo seems tricky. But I'm sure you will be able to do it." She says. I nod. Her voice is so high and cheery. But I didn't pay attention, her hair was striking.  
"Yeah thanks." I say. I take the tool box and walk out of Craterside Supply.


	4. Chapter 4

4

Two sweat-full hours, thirty-two never-rending minutes, and forty-seven stressful seconds later, I successfully disarm the bomb. It felt like old days in the vault a little bit. I had my own vault 101 utility jumpsuit. Sleeves rolled up, old oil grease stains, hair up in a bun; it felt like old times, besides the thing I was tinkering with was a bomb.  
Lucas Simms seemed more ecstatic than I was. He gave me the caps and a home in Megaton. I couldn't explain how nice it was to have my own home. Someplace to come back too. Then I realize, I didn't have a home since Vault 101. I was always going where my dad was going. When I get into my new humble abode, I jump about three feet when I am greeted by a robot. I give a sigh of relief.  
"Good evening Madam. I am Wadsworth, your personal robot butler. Is there anything I can do for you?" he asks. This robot has a weird accent. I think it might be British. The robot seems to be hovering and gives a humming sound.  
"No thank you Wadsworth." I say. I look around at the dull shack but I smile. _This is my home. It's my own. _  
"Well come to me if you need anything, madam." Says Wadsworth. I nod at him and he hovers up the stairs. The front room has a few chairs and lockers on both walls. There was some weird machine against the wall to my left. It had little stands, and then I abandoned the pondering about the curious machine and go up the stairs. I see my room and see a bed with old brown blanket and dirty pillow. I sigh and lean against the door way. But I smile again. I take the blanket and pillow and trot down the stairs.  
I find some Abraxo Cleaner on the shelves in the kitchen. I try to find a bathroom, but I don't seem to have one. I settle for a sink. Before I clean my dirty bedding, I turn on the jukebox that is upstairs. I hear Three Dog on the radio.  
"Hello fellow wastelanders this is Threeeeee Doooooogg!" he draws out his own name for effect. I smile and shake my head.  
I turn on the faucet. There is a low stream of water pouring into the bowl of the sink. It's better than nothing. I pour some Abraxo Cleaning on my blanket and put it in the sink. I start scrubbing.  
"Now listen people of the capital wasteland, remember that vault dweller from 101? Well she is back! Insiders say that she and her dear old dad are working on a project off by Rivet City. Now you might ask what kind of Project? Well I hear it's a project to purify water. To give everyone water freely. If the project works drinks on me." he says.  
I smile. Three Dog sure knows how to shine his personality through the radio. It is especially entertaining.  
"Thanks for listening children! This is Three Dog! Ooooowww! And you are listening to Galaxy News Radio, bringing you the truth no matter how bad it hurts. And now, some music." He closes off and I hear some old jazz music play. I recognized the song. In the vault we had our own radio that played old songs.  
It was one of my favorites. A dream to build a kiss on by Louis Armstrong. I sing along without even noticing. It was almost like I was in the Vault.  
"Give me your lips for just a moment. And my imagination will make that moment live."  
I scrub until my finger sting. The blanket was soaking wet but clean. I go up the stairs and put the drenched blanket over the railing to dry.  
"When I'm alone with my fancies...I'll be with you. Weaving romances...making believe they're true."  
Next is the pillow. I do the same. Scrubbing the dirty pillow, I start to smell the stink coming out of the fabric. My hands are very dry from the soap.  
"And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss."  
I place the pillow by the blanket. Extremely exhausted I go to my room and sit on my bed. My pack is in bad shape. Honestly it has seen better days. Luckily, I find an old military backpack under my bed. Going through my pack, I look at the old Vault jumpsuits and my baseball bat. I sigh at the memories.  
Then I pull out Butch's Tunnel Snake Jacket. My mouth parts. I look at the leather, my fingers lightly feel the snake patch on the back. I put it on because I won't be able to sleep in my blanket. I flinch when I inhale the smell. _It smells like him. _  
I breathe in deeply and shut my eyes. Butch may be an asshole, an annoying bastard, and a stupid shit, but he is… there is something there. Something that was undetected by me. It was a weird feeling that I had in the pit of my stomach. I bite the inside of my cheek hard when a thought crosses my mind. _I miss him. _  
"Ah sweetheart, I ask no more than this. A kiss to build a dream on."


	5. Chapter 5

5

Before I decide to leave, there is one person I wanted to see. Gob. I know he would be happy to see me. As I will be. Plus I could use a drink. I climb up the steep railings to get to the Saloon. When I enter and see Gob's face when he raised it from being low, I couldn't help but smile. Walking to the barstool, I sit and keep eye contact with him. I hear Galaxy News Radio from a nearby radio.  
"Hi, Gob." I say. Though the shredded skin I see a smile spread on his face.  
"How you've been, smoothskin?" he asks. My smile widens.  
"I've been great. I found my dad and we have been working together." I say. He nods although he already knew,  
"I know." He says. I look at him with my head slanted in a questioning expression. "Three Dog." He says. I nod and remember the radio broadcast.  
"I also heard you fixed the connection with the signal of the radio station, good work, smoothskin. I have to thank you for that." He says. I nod.  
"I was happy to do it. I like what he does and the music is good." I say. He nods.  
"How about a drink?" he offers. I nod thinking about what beverage I would like to consume. Then Moriarty walks in the room. Gob gets nervous and occasionally looks over his shoulder at Moriarty. I hate how this has to happen. I contemplate weather or not to put a bullet through Moriarty's head. I clench my jaw and look down at my hands.  
When Moriarty notices Gob's anxiousness. He marches over to Gob. He hits him behind the head.  
"Something you want to say Zombie?" he asks. I snap my gaze up at him.  
"No." Gob mumbles. Moriarty closes in closer. My fist tightens into balls until my knuckles are white. Before Moriarty says anything I take the pleasure of defending Gob.  
"There's something I would like to say." I snap. Moriarty snaps his head to my way. I keep a steady glare at him.  
"Oh is it the little girl! Hear you found your daddy. Can't say that I am not surprised." He says.  
"You are so lucky you are still alive, Moriarty. I should shoot you where you stand." I say. He laughs at me as if my threat wasn't real.  
"We have been over this before, lass. Don't do anything you can't clean up." He says.  
"I think the town would forgive me if I did. Considering what I did for the town." I retort. He looks at me intrigued.  
"What do you mean?" he asks.  
"I disarmed the bomb. I practically saved everyone's life from the ticking time bomb." I say. Gob smiles. I feel like he is unbelievably proud of me.  
"Well what's stopping ya? Got your mind set." He says leading me on. I give a smirk and lean in closer.  
"I am going to make you suffer first." I threat. He looks at Gob with utter disgust as if this was his fault. That angers me. It pushes me off the edge.  
Basically I climb over the counter and shove him against the wall with my elbow in his throat. He chokes.  
"Don't fucking think about it! If you even look in his direction I swear you won't have hands to hit, jackoff, hold, or punch after I'm done with you." I threat. He chuckles.  
"What is the rotting corpse your main squeeze?" he laughs. I slam his body against the wall and punch him in the face. He falls to the ground looking up dazed. The bar is silent. I feel my knuckles split. Blood spills from above his brow and his eye starts to swell. _Man I must of hit him hard.  
_I notice the pain in my hand after I stop looking at Moriarty. I shake my hand.  
"Wow, smoothskin. You can give a hit." Gob says. Then he whispers, "Nice job." I smile. Gob looks down at Moriarty with fascination.  
When Moriarty comes out of his daze he looks up at me and has a monstrous glare. He stands up. A woman, who I think is the saloon's whore, tries to help him up. Moriarty aggressively pushes her away. He grumbles.  
"What the hell you all looking at? Talk! Go about your business!" he says angrily before hiding in his room. Everyone starts to talk quiet, but it grows as time passes. I sit at the bar. Gob hasn't stopped smiling.  
"You really disarmed the bomb?" Gob asks opening a bottle of vodka for me. I didn't even ask for vodka, but strangely that's what I wanted.  
"Yep." I say before taking a drink. He smiles bigger than ever before.  
"Amazing. We need someone like you in the wasteland. A hero like you." He says. I look up at him. _A hero? How could I be a hero?_ _It's not the question on how but would I be the hero_.

To get to the Scrapyard, it takes more than endurance. The heat is unbearable. But it is not impossible to get through it. I travel lightly through the Scrapyard, but not long after I arrive, I hear barking. The barking does not cease.  
"Fucking dog, I'm going to cut you up." I hear an insane voice say. I bring out my assault rifle. I hear whining. I run to the sound. Broken cars and train cars cover seeing anything of this fight. Soon I see movement through a window of a car. I see a dog fighting a raider. The dog looked like a red husky; the red fur was almost as vibrant as Moria Brown's. I climb up the tower of cars until I reach the top. I aim at the raider. He is about to hit the dog. I shoot and his head is blown off.  
Blood splats ever where. It's about a second after his head is blown off his headless body falls to the ground. The dog looks at the body with his head to the side questioning what the hell just happened. Then he looks up at me. He barks. I smile while I jump down.  
"Hi there, boy." I say. I held out my hand, hoping he smells or senses no threat from me. He sniffs my hand. Licking his nose, he snorts. He sits. I pat his head. His fur is so soft. It is kind of weird that he has such smooth fur in a dirty wasteland like this. He either takes good care of himself or his owner does. Kneeling next to him I scratch his neck. I feel a collar.  
"Whatcha name, boy?" I ask. I look for a pendent and I feel the cool circular metal. I bring the old metal plate to the light. I smile at the name.  
"Dogmeat." I read. I look at the dog. His eyes are different colors. His right one is a warm hue of amber, just like the wasteland's dirt. His left eye is a shade of teal that remind me of the icy blue from a book I saw about the battle in Anchorage.  
"I am Daenerys. Where is your owner?" I ask. Dogmeat whines. I bite my lip and give him a sad look. Petting him, I scratch behind his ears.  
"It's okay. I lost someone too. But I found him. So I guess it's not like your story." I say. The dog whines again. I sit there with him. I give him some squirrel on a stick.  
"Do you know where I can find some scrap metal?" I ask Dogmeat. Dogmeat barks happily and trots away. I follow closely. He leads me to an old shack that is in the entrance. The door is locked and I sigh. I bust open the door.  
When I enter the shack the smell is sickening, like a door has not been opened for a long time. I cover my nose with the back of my hand. I look around and see some scrap electronics and scrap metal on the shelves. I collect as much as my pack could carry.  
I take a deep breath and tighten the straps on my back. I catch a glimpse of Dogmeat. In some way he is sulking. I smile and kneel down to the dog.  
"Would you like to join me, Dogmeat? There will be more squirrel." I say. Dogmeat barks and pants happily. I scratch him behind the ears.  
We leave the Scrapyard and I am excited to show dad my new friend.


	6. Chapter 6

6

"Wow, he's got different colored eyes." Dad exclaims. I nod. Dogmeat is a beautiful dog. Dogmeat seems to like dad. He pants happily as my dad pets him. I think my dad has always like dogs. He shows excitement to Dogmeat.  
I hug my dad. Ever since he left the vault I started not to like being away from him. There is this weird feeling if he is with me he is safe. And when I am with him I am safe. Dad is the only one I trust in my life. No one else. That means a lot to me. Trust. I don't think I ever trusted anyone. Could I ever trust anyone else?  
"How's the Project holding up?" I ask. Dad looks around, analyzing the scene. I smile. He is truly happy with this. He is definitely in his element.  
"Well, it's going good; we just needed the scrap metal to get the equipment going." He says. I nod and smile widely.  
"Anything I can do?" I ask. He nods almost immediately.  
"Yes, I need you to drain the intake pipes. There is a vent down the hall from the main entrance. I nod willing to do anything. Dogmeat follows but I tell him to stay.

The pipe is huge that I walk through. I can almost stand up completely. My footsteps echo in the hallow pipe. There are lights hanging from the top of the pipe. It takes me awhile to find the drain switch. It's actually a valve. There are bars that show the outside. It is almost night and the grey clouds cover the sky making it more gloomy than normal.  
I turn the valve until I hear my dad over the intercom. "You're doing well, honey." He says and then talks to someone else still with the intercom activated.  
But something else caught my eye. I see a helicopter land on top of the building and soldiers in metal armor come out. But they aren't like the other ones I saw at Chevy Chase. Their armor is different shaped and different color. Something tells me something is very wrong, very wrong.  
"Madison locks the door in the pipe!" my dad yells. I look at the way I came. _What was my dad doing?  
_I look at the rest of the pipe in front of me. There is another bar door. I bite my lip and go through it. There has to be another way out. When I am through the door, the pipe drops straight down. I jump down it, franticly hoping I get there before anything happens.  
When I land on the ground it is a hard landing. I moan but quickly get up and run to the entrance. I bust open the door. The first person I see is Daniel. I don't even waste my time with glaring.  
"What's happening?" I ask. He glares at me but it softens a little when he sees my concerned expression. He breaks eye contact.  
"The Enclave. That's what happening. If I find out your dad brought them here, I swear to god." He says. I sigh. I walk into the rotunda and I am followed by Dogmeat and Daniel. I see my dad with a man in a trench coat.  
The rotunda is sealed off by a glass door. Running to the glass door, I can't help but having a worried expression on my face. Dad sees me. He has the same expression.  
"By the authority of the president, this facility is under the government's control." The man in the trench coat says.  
"The leader of this project is hand all material to the Enclave immediately." He continues. I don't stop looking at dad. I wanted to know his reaction to this, what he is going to do?  
"That is quite impossible. All of it is a part of a private project. The government has no authority over this." Dad explains. _Damn right, the government lost its authority over anything over 200 years ago._ I shake my head slowly.  
"You need to leave immediately." Dad warns. The man does not move. Through the glass I could feel the anger coming from him.  
"So you are the one in charge, do I guess correctly?" the man asks.  
"Yes, I am responsible for this project." Dad replies. I begin to get nervous. Really nervous. I gnaw on the inside of my cheek.  
"Then I will repeat my request. You are ordered to hand over all material that is included in this project." The man says. My fist clench.  
"I'm sorry, but that's… I can't do…" Dad starts. He is soon interrupted by the asshole that is making this a very stressful conversation.  
"Furthermore, you are required to help the Enclave scientist who will be continuing this project at this facility at once." He says.  
"Colonel is it? Look this facility has never been operational, it is impossible to do anything with it. You are wasting your time here." Dad says. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest.  
"Sir, this is the last time I am going to repeat myself. Hand over all of the property that is related to the project." The colonel demands.  
"This facility will not function. We have never been able to make it work. I am afraid you are wasting your time here." Dad repeats. The Colonel pulls out a pistol and kills a nearby scientist. I flinch when the gun fires. My heart stops. Dad could be next.  
"Dad!" I couldn't help myself saying. Dad looks at me. I know how much he doesn't want me to be here, how he wished I stayed in the pipe.  
"I suggest you do what I say sir. Or else I might have to kill you in front of your daughter." the Colonel says. My heart starts to beat but it pumps unbelievably out of control.  
"Yes, Colonel. There is no need for violence." Dad says in a furious tone. My mouth drops as Dad goes to the machine to type something in.  
"Give me a few moments to set the machines online." Dad says. I can feel myself shaking. This is the first time I am truly afraid for my dad.  
"My patience is wearing thin!" The Colonel expresses. I can feel my hands getting sweaty. Dogmeat whines.  
"Just one more moment." Dad says. Then there is an explosion. I jump. My Pip-Boy warns me that I am receiving radiation. _Oh no._  
All of them collapse. But my dad crawls to the door. I am gasping for air. Dad places his palm against the glass door. I place my hand where his was. I kneel. Tears sting the corners of my eyes. My jaw tightens.  
"Daddy." I whisper. If he couldn't hear me he could read my lips. I could see the tears about to burst out of his eyes.  
"Run! Run!" he yells. I am breathless. I refuse to leave him in there. My dad's eyes close and he collapses on the floor. I feel someone pick me up.  
"No! No! Dad! Don't!" I yell. I try to fight the arms that hold me but in my current state, I wasn't strong enough. "Dad! Daddy! No!" I scream. My cheeks are drenched in tears. I pound on the hands. Dogmeat howls. The man pulls me out of the rotunda.  
"No no no no no!" I yell. The man pulls me a latch in the floor and Dogmeat jumps down. We are now in a sewer tunnel. The man lets me go. It is Daniel and the scowl is gone with no trace from his face.  
"No." I say quietly. I cry. Daniel pulls me in his arms.  
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispers in my ear. I sniff. Wiping my eyes I am pulled away from Doctor Li. I look at her with a slight glare as if this is her fault.  
"You have to help us get out of here." She says firmly. I look at her with a 'what the fuck?' look. I shake my head unbelievably.  
"What?" I ask. She wastes no time on replying.  
"Look you are the only one who has combat experience. You can get us out of here alive." She demands. I sigh and then nod. My dad would have wanted me to do it.  
"Okay." I sigh. I turn to the group. "Can anyone of you know how to use a gun?" I ask. Daniel steps forward.  
"I can use a small pistol." He says. I pull off my backpack and look through with my .375 magnum. I hand it to him. He looks shocked.  
"Wow. Really? Okay." He says. I put the pack over my shoulder. Standing straight, I look at Doctor Li. She nods her head in the direction ahead.  
"Lead the way." She comments. I nod and continue to walk in the tunnel. Dogmeat is by my side. Garza and Li stay behind us and Daniel is by my other side.  
We are confronted by a few ghouls but we easily take them out. When I say we, I mean Dogmeat, Daniel and me. Li and Garza cower behind us, covering their heads from possible blows from the hands of feral ghouls. The next challenge is when we see some Enclave soldiers. They're only two. I tell Daniel to take cover that I will take care of the soldiers. At first he doesn't want to cower down and have me, so vulnerable, take care of extreme soldiers, but follows my orders.  
To be honest, I am excited to kill the Enclave soldiers. I think I had Daniel take cover because I wanted them to myself. I shoot my assault rifle around the neck and head area. In no time they are the ground. We run to the bodies. I loot the corpses. Placing the ammo for a new plasma rifle I have acquired into my backpack, I wave over to the group to move on.  
It is not long until we enter a tunnel with the good men in uniform. I soon learn from Li that they are the Brotherhood of Steel. After finding a ladder that leads out to the wasteland, I let the rest of the group climb the ladder first. I soon follow. And when I enter the outside, I know I have lost the one thing I trusted, loved, and worshipped forever.


	7. Chapter 7

7

I sit on the mattress that is loaned to me for the night by the Brotherhood. I stare at the dirt filled floor, unable to comprehend what happened tonight. I feel sick but I drink down more Vodka. I don't even cry because I am out of tears. When dad's cold body fell to the ground, I felt my heart stop and it hasn't beat since that moment.  
I can feel go black and become cold. I feel like leaving, going out into the wasteland to die. The only thing that is stopping me is my legs not obeying my demands. Dogmeat whines and looks up at me. Scratching his neck, I lean in and wrap my arms around him. This pain makes me exhausted.  
I feel as if I am in this trance and not even thinking about how he died. I just have the leftover emotions that leave me not being able to think.  
I break away from Dogmeat. I lay back on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, I lay my hands on my stomach. I have had almost a full vodka bottle and I feel that it will come back up soon. But until then, I will wait.  
Dogmeat lies down on the floor and twitches in his sleep. For some reason I forget to blink I don't even feel the need too. It's as if my body wants me to look up at the ceiling with no drained eyes. For the first time I truly feel alone, there is no one I can trust. In this world, I have no one.  
I start to feel the reunion of the half bottle of vodka crawling up my throat. I find the bucket that I brought with me after I bought the booze. I vomit. It burns my mouth. I begin to cry as I cough. My eyes are finally closed for the first time in the while.  
I sob and bring my hands to my face.  
_Where are you? Where did you go? Will I ever see you again?_  
I take a drink of water and wipe my mouth from the disgusting bile. I lie on the dirty mattress staring at the wall. I know I should sleep. It would pass the time. Then I can leave. Then I could leave to Megaton and stay in my _own_ house for solitude. I curl up in a ball but I am so far away from sleep. _This is useless. Nothing will take the pain away. Nothing will bring my heart back to pumping blood through my cold, tired veins.  
Maybe it's better this way. Maybe it's the way I was supposed to live the rest of my life, as long as it might be.  
_I sigh. My eyes are sore; the lump in my throat is making it hard to drink any water, or vodka for that matter. I sniff. Opening my eyes I turned on my side to look for my pack. I grab it and open it. I find the tunnel snakes jacket. All I wanted was for it to be normal, so I could dream about being in the vault. So that it would be like I never left, that he never left.  
I put the jacket on. I back inhaling the smell of leather and remembering a time when Butch was fighting me. Pretending I am there, I remove myself from reality and focus on my mind. I remind myself I am okay, there is no pain, and dad is alive.  
_I walk down the hall to Amata's apartment. When I see her I smile and give her a hug. She laughs at me wondering why I am so affectionate.  
"Ok Danny what happened? Did Freddie look at you today?" She teases. But I don't care I am just happy to see her again.  
"No. Can't I just be happy to see you?" I ask. She looks at me confused and I think a little concerned. I give a small smile. I have missed Amata for a very long time. She chuckles and shakes her head.  
"Whatever, Danny. Want to go play baseball?" She asks. I nod. We walk to the gym that is two levels down. Its gets cooler with every step that we take downstairs.  
When we arrive in the gym but instead of getting a baseball, we get a basketball. I dribble over to Amata. I shoot up to the basket. Score!  
"Think you can beat me?" a man says. I look over and Amata is gone but Butch is in her place. "Come on, Nosebleed, you couldn't shoot a basket in real life." He says.  
"But this is my mind. I can do anything I want like…" I start. He wipes the side of his hair as if fixing it, carefully.  
"Like how you brought your dad back to life." He interrupts. I frown and narrow my eyes. I can't even look at him. Why the hell is he here?  
"Why are you here Butch? Don't you have something better to do? Besides what are you doing here? I don't want you here." I say. I cross my arms. He laughs. I hate that Deloria laugh, but I can't help but wanting him to continue.  
"Whose jacket are you wearing? Exactly, so breathing in the smell of it, you are bound to think of Me." he states. I down uncomfortably.  
"And…" he starts. I can hear him walk closer to me. Goosebumps travel up my spine and spread to my shoulders.  
"I know what how you have been feeling about me." He says. He curls a strand of hair behind my hair. I shiver. I can hear him chuckle under his breath.  
"I know because I am in your head." He breathes inside my ear. I let out a breath of air. He pulls away but is still close to my face. At one moment I think he is going to kiss me but he stares into my eyes. His eyes are so blue that I think he is reflecting ice.  
Then I realize he hasn't kissed me because I am unsure if I want him too. My mind is controlling what is happening. Instead of waiting to find out what I want, I run. Pushing Butch out of the way I run to the Living Quarters.  
I run to dad's office. I stop when I see him facing away from me. I am breathless. He is here. He is alive. Turning, dad writes some notes on his clipboard. He looks up at me and a smile crosses his face.  
"Hey, sweetheart." He greets. I smile and hug him. He chuckles in confusion.  
"You okay?" H asks. I don't answer I just close my eyes and stay in his arms. All I wanted to hear was him breathing, his heart to beat and to feel him alive. But my heart is not pumping anything. Nothing has changed. But I don't let that change what I am feeling and that feeling was relax. That everything was okay.  
When I open my eyes everything is gone. In fact I am in the room I was loaned for the night. I was back to _reality.  
My lip quivers and I rip the jacket off and throw it across the room. I cry out. Not only completely sorrowful, but angry and frustrated that he had to leave me. That he had to die.  
I can't stay enclosed in this room anymore. I needed to break out to run away from this place. Grabbing the jacket and shove it in my bag, I wake Dogmeat. He groans. But he follows.

I snuck out of the citadel without being seen by Doctor Li or Elder Lyons. When I was a few miles away from the citadel, I realize Doctor Li will be furious knowing that I left. Good. But I have to admit I know she will have to understand.

I was close to Megaton when my Pip-Boy started beeping. I look at it confused and worried on why the screen was flashing. I hesitate what to do. Clicking it on, I give a sigh of relief because the beeping stops. But it went to my radio. I see an option to listen to a Vault 101 emergency distress call. I click it on. A robots voice plays.  
"This is an automated distress message from Vault-Tec: Vault 101." I sit on a rock near me to listen to the message. What could possibly happen?  
"It feels like you left home a long time ago, but I know you're still out there. I just hope you're still alive to hear this. Things got worse after you left. The new overseer's insane. I changed the door password to my name. If you're hearing this, and if you still care enough to help me, you should remember it." I hear Amata's voice say. I roll my eyes at the last comment.  
_Amata, how could I forget you?  
_A cold gust of wind blew off my shoulders, forcing loose strands of hair to flow in my face. I put my hair in a high ponytail. I keep staring at my Pip-Boy. They want my help. They need my help. And when Amata says 'it feels like you left home a long time ago', I nod in agreement.  
Well looks like there is trouble on the home front.


	8. Chapter 8

8

I reach the entrance of Vault 101 about an hour after I heard the emergency signal. I don't know how long ago she sent it I just hope it's not too late. I allow Dogmeat to follow and come into the Vault with me. Holding my breath I type in the password. The alarm goes off. The gears in the vault door switch and move. I hear the hiss of the door and the metal sliding together. The door is open.  
In the Vault entrance room, papers and trash litter the floor. I see a few radraoches which I take out easily with my plasma rifle. Dogmeat chews on one's shell. That's when I found a body. By the vault control pod lays the corpse of Jim Wilkins. I sigh.  
When I was younger, I and he would play Gronak the Barbarian in the cafeteria. His sister Janice would also play with us. I frown. _I hope she is alive too.  
_Janice had very wavy red hair. It was almost shocking, her appearance. But she was always quiet and humble.  
I hear footsteps progressing to my location. I aim my gun and hold my breath on which it is. No matter who, I will know them and that scares me. Dogmeat gives a low growl and lurks closer to the door ready to attack.  
"Don't attack, Dogmeat, unless I shoot." I order. Dogmeat relaxes a little and backs away but still continues to growl.  
The man in a security uniform runs out with a 10mm pistol aimed ready to fire. I gasp. It is Officer Gomez.  
"Stop right there! I don't know how you got in here but if you leave no we won't have any… oh my god. It's you. I didn't recognize you. You have so much grime and dust on you that… that you look like a different person." He says. I lower my gun. Gomez doesn't seem to be any threat but he keeps his gun ready but does lower it. "Guess that's how you opened the door you has more experience with it than all the people in here put together." He continues. "But why are you here?" he asks.  
I waste no time in answering his question. When Dogmeat feels the relaxed tension I have he stops growling and stays by my side.  
"I need to talk to Amata. I got her message. I am here to help… if I can." I say. He slants his head questioning.  
"Amata's message? I don't know what you are talking about. But I should warn you to keep that under your hat for her sake." He says. I nod in agreement. I do trust Gomez, as far as I would trust anyone these days, of course not fully. I learned that you can't trust anyone in the wasteland. But this wasn't the wasteland. This was home.  
"She could get in trouble for it. Sending you the message. People blame you for what has happened here. Hell I could get in trouble just talking to you." He states. I nod. I can understand why people of Vault 101 would blame me. They're idiots. Mindless fools that will believe anything that their precious overseer would say. I have always thought that everyone was so dense in allowing him to lead us. But to go so far into believing that this is my entire fault? Are their skulls really that thick?  
Maybe it was my fault and that I didn't think of what I was doing but I didn't mean for this Vault to go to shit; I didn't do it on purpose. Besides the overseer killed Jonas and others to hide his secret that the Vault was open. So no it was not my fault it was the brainless son of bitch that everyone worshipped. And now Amata thinks it's a good idea to have me help? Let's hope she hasn't become as dim-witted as the rest of the residents here of Vault 101.  
"Regardless of anything I came here to talk to her. She is in trouble and I have a hunch that she truly needs my help." I say. He nods.  
"Maybe. A lot of people are thinking the same way now. Ever since that night it has been chaos down here. Nothing but distress." He says. I sigh and rub the back of my neck. Maybe I should take some responsibility. I did leave for my own shellfish reasons after all, but I wouldn't change how things happened. Because no matter how much it hurts, I know there was absolutely nothing I could do to save my father.  
"What do you mean? What happened since I left?" I ask. Did I cause a rebellion? The thought stings me in the stomach.  
"Everything went crazy, is what happened. The swarm of bugs never ceased since your dad opened the door, and people started to go insane. When the smoke cleared, there were a lot of bodies and more questions than answers." He explained. I look down and pinch where my nose met my forehead. I thought Gomez was done but he added one thing that made my heart sink.  
"It didn't help that our only doctor left either." He adds bitterly. I look up at him shocked that he would even go there. But I do have to admit, he does have a right to say it.  
"I'm sorry." I whisper. "Dad would have been horrified… if he was still alive." I say narrowing his eyes. Now I know Gomez felt bad, but that was not my intention.  
"I'm…I'm sorry to hear that. He was a good man, your father. He was a good friend, regardless how things turned out down here. I thought he would always do well on the outside." Gomez says. I nod keeping my eyes down.  
"You know everyone is now thinking he had the right idea, which isn't surprising because he usually did. They now want to step out. Because they thought it was safe out there, why stay locked up down here?" he says. "As you can imagine the Overseer didn't like the sound of that idea, at all." I nod smiling that we both know about the Overseer's thoughts.  
"How did he react?" I ask. Gomez sighs and shakes his head. Dogmeat lies down and chews on the remainder of the radraoch.  
"Not very well. He started cracking down on that sort of thought. I guess he didn't foresee you returning in the future, but he didn't foresee you leaving either." He says.  
"What now? What do I do?" I ask. Gomez scratches his chin and looks behind me. I don't know if he noticed the body before because he frowns and sighs.  
"Another one. You know who it is?" he asks frustrated. I nod and look at Jim. I could just imagine his ten year old self chasing me with a baseball bat. I smile at the thought.  
"It's Jim. Jim Wilkins." I say. I hear Gomez sigh behind me. He walks past me and to the dead body on the floor.  
"Look, I am not stupid. I am not going to try to arrest you and take you to the overseer; honestly I respect my life more than I do his rules." He says with a slight smile, I smile back at him. "Some of your old pals think that opening the vault is a good idea, so I think they would like a visit from you now more than ever. You go on ahead." He says. I smile at him.  
"Thank you Gomez. You… you were always my favorite officer." I say blushing and looking at the ground. He smiles.  
"And do me a favor. Try not to get killed and… try not to kill." He says sincerely. I look at him surprised that he would think I would do anyone harm in Vault 101 but I nod remembering the night I escaped. The night when I killed Officer Mack.

I enter the atrium finding everything has been thrown and ripped. Even dust falls from the ceiling and floats in the air like it does in the Wasteland. I sigh at the dramatic change that this vault has been through. Then I hear an old man's voice ahead. I run through the hall way and look out into the Atrium. In the atrium there is furniture pushed over to provide for cover and papers and broken wood chips everywhere. I even notice a few bullet shells lingering on the floor. I look up at the 'Thank You, Overseer' sign; I see the thank you was written over by black paint. It now reads 'Fuck You, Overseer'. I smile at it. Well I am not the only one who thought that every time I read that sign.  
I see Freddie and Officer Taylor. Taylor is pointing a gun at Freddie. I widened my eyes and pull out my gun quietly and slowly. Officer Taylor doesn't know I am there, but Freddie sees me and his eyes go wide. Something churns in my stomach and I get excited.  
"Now Freddie don't make me shoot… stay… stay back now. And go back down below in the Living Quarters." Says Officer Taylor. Freddie breaks eye contact with me and looks at Officer Taylor. He points his knife at him. For a second I am afraid his going to use it.  
"Before I do something that we both regret." Says Taylor. I raise my brows. _Freddie listens to him. _  
"What? You are going to lock me up too? Just like what you did to Brotch? Yeah no way. You can't cage a tunnel snake, man!" Freddie yells.  
I roll my eyes at the ridiculous comment about tunnel snakes. Shaking my head I aim my gun down. Dogmeat pants happily as if this was a good show.  
Clicks his gun and aims more directly at Freddie. I pull up my gun hirer ready to fire.  
"Stay back!" Warns Officer Taylor. Freddie only flinches and a gun shoot is fired.  
"No!" I say. Dogmeat barks and Officer Taylor turns around with a scared look in his eyes. I can see that Freddie was hit and was lying on the ground.  
"Shit!" he says. "You shot me!" Officer Taylor turns to look at Freddie. He looks scared and worried that he might be shot next.  
"What the hell are you doing?!" I yell at him I run over to Freddie. Freddie was shot in the hand. I hope we have some medical supplies left here 'cause then I could treat his wounds.  
"Don't you know well enough to stay out of the Vault?!" Yells Officer Taylor. Dogmeat growls at him. I rip off a strip of my tank top and tie it around Freddie's bloody hand. He leans his head back and yells in pain.  
"You're here." He whispers. He is breathing heavily. I finish my knot and it will do for now. Dogmeat is still growling at Officer Taylor.  
"Yeah, I am. And looks like you are still and idiot. What were you thinking?!" I ask. He looks at me offended but shakes the expression away quickly.  
"I…I don't know. I just have to get out of here." He says. I help him to his feet and he groans in pain. I sigh and glare at Officer Taylor with the gun still in his hands. I shake my head at him.  
"Come on, Dogmeat, let's go. He isn't worth the trouble and neither is his 10mm." I say. Dogmeat gives on last bark but then follows us through the hallway to the Living Quarters. Freddie chuckles. I look at him with a puzzled face.  
"What?" I ask, as if I was offended. He shakes his head and looks at Dogmeat. I raise a brow. He looks back at me. His face hasn't changed except for a few cuts and sweat on his face. His hair is also messy and I could tell he hasn't used gel in a while. But with so many things different about him a few remain the same. And one of those things that didn't change was his smile. The half-smile that made me swoon and make me feel light on my feet. But now it doesn't have the same effect on me as it once did before. I look away thinking I must have felt weird out.  
"Your dog's name." he says. Dogmeat gives a short glare and snarl. I laugh.  
"I didn't choose but I like it. Dogmeat is a good dog. I think the name fits." I defend. Dogmeat barks happily at me. I scratch him behind the ears.  
"I didn't say I didn't like it." He says softly. I stop petting Dogmeat. "You are always too quick to assume things, Daenerys." He says. I clench my jaw when he says my full name. "Besides I like it. When I thought you named him I was surprised but I guess I am too quick to assume as well." I nod in agreement. I bite down on my lip.  
I rise up and look at Freddie, with a look I never gave him before. I gave him a serious expression. Before all I have looked like was head over heels in love with this guy and now I can't even try to act swooned. It is kind of nice. It's as if I am free.  
"Do you know where Amata is?" I ask. His smile fades and he nods. I raise a brow. Dogmeat stands and looks at Freddie just like how I am looking at him. It almost makes me laugh.  
"I will show you to her, but can you treat my gunshot wound?" he asks. I sigh and nod.  
"I was planning on it." I admit. His smile returns and he takes my hand with his unwounded palm and we enter into the Living Quarters.  
We walk through the dirty halls. It almost feels normal but it's just so wrong to be back here. We enter into the cafeteria which is littered with papers. Barstools are broken and knocked down, scraps and crumbs of food are scattered all over the floor and glass from broken dishes crack under our feet.  
"Shit." I say. Freddie nods in agreement. Dogmeat is careful when he steps over the glass. I hope I won't have to treat his wounds too.  
"Yeah." Freddie agrees. He leads me out of the cafeteria, my hand still in his. I look at our hands together and it feels weird. While we walk, our feet often kick tin cans and glass bottles. It creates more noise than I like, I rather not cause more attention to us. More attention means more people that I know and might have to fight to pass.  
We head up a flight of stairs. I let go of Freddie's hand and walk by myself. He looks at me for a moment but then continues to climb the stairs.  
When we reach the top shelves and lockers cover half of the walkway. After we pass them, I see Butch. My stomach turns and my face turns white. For some reason I am shocked to see him, but I should have known he would have been with the rebels. I shouldn't be surprised. I should have expected to see him. But I can see in his eyes, that he is as shocked to see me.  
"Holy shit, nosebleed." He says. Freddie stops and waits for me to talk to Butch, but I can see that he is uncomfortable.  
"You got some balls coming back into the vault. Since, you know, after what you and your dad did, fucking up everything." He says. I am completely offended and I glare at him.  
"Dad and I didn't screw anything up. It was the fucking overseer and how he reacted to it. He was the one who killed people and almost hurt Amata. So don't fucking say that my dad did anything because if you do I will fucking have no problem breaking your nose again got it?" I warn.  
"Whoa, shit, okay, nosebleed. If you are here might as well make you useful." Butch says. I roll my eyes and glare at him.  
"You know you suck at asking for help, Butch. You might want to change your approach." I say. I cross my arms. Butch twirls his switch blade in the light. I know he this movement isn't a threat, considering I got a big ass gun in my hands. Butch was not that dense. Still he wasn't the brightest glowing ghoul, but he wasn't the dullest either.  
"Hey, the Butchman does not have any problems asking for help." He says. "But receiving it is another story." He adds. I nod. I could agree to that, but I am the fool who always helps the poor bastard.  
"What do you need?" I sigh. He smiles and tries to hide my blush.  
"What do you think, Nosebleed? What else do the rebels want? We want the door open, so that we can come and go as we please. So when you talk to Amata, put in a good word for the idea, alright?" he asks. I sigh and nod.  
"I will do it, but… Butch. You have to admit you will not last a second out there. Especially with that toothpick in your hands." I say. Butch looks offended but takes another look at his switchblade. After a moment he throws his hands down.  
"Ahh hell, what do you care, Nosebleed?!" he ask. My eyes widened and I look down, hiding the truth that was behind my eyes. Then I think of something to say. I look up at him with a smirk that spreads across my lips.  
"Well… maybe I don't want to waste such a good barber." I say with a slight tone of sarcasm. He looks even more offended than before. But I could tell that he admitted to himself that that was a good one. He chuckles.  
"Yeah, yeah. Very funny, good thing to see that you haven't lost your sense of humor, Nosebleed." He says. I smile. I pull out my .375 magnum out of my pack; I look at it for a second.  
"Here, Butch. When you make it out use it. If you find me in the wasteland you can return it but if you are die and can't, I deserve to lose it by trusting you." I say, handing him the gun. Butch eyes become wide when I give him a great gift. I can see some of the regret in his face.  
"Wow uh thanks, uh Nosebl-… Daenerys." He says. "You are alright." He says. I smile and walk with Freddie. I can hear Butch's excited laughter as he rolls the chamber. My smile grows as we walk away. I know that Freddie is jealous of Butch just by the way he walks. But I could care less.  
We walk pass the classroom and Susie Mack sees me. She never really liked me that much and I don't know if she knew I killed her dad. But about few months before I left, I fixed her heating system and she has been nice to me ever since. It was almost snowing in her apartment it was so cold, but I don't think me fixing her heating system is going to make up for killing her dad. She runs up to me and I expect her to blow up at me but instead, she hugs me. I am astonished that I don't hug her back.  
"You're alive!" she chirps. Old Lady Palmer walks out of the classroom and over to me as well. Susie pulls away from me.  
"I can't believe you are here! Amata told me everything, and I am not mad, you saved her life." She says. I look at her confused. "Look I know you killed my father but… you had good reason too." She says sadly. "He went crazy."  
"I'm sorry. I don't care if you are not mad but I feel horrible about it." I say. _Wow that was the worst apology for killing someone's family member ever.  
_Old Lady Palmer walks up to me and places her hand on my shoulder. Sadness is in her eyes but she smiles.  
"I am glad to see you are alive. The wasteland is dangerous." She says. Old Lady Palmer is the grandmother of Jonas. I feel my eyes start to sting.  
"I am so sorry about Jonas." I say. "I…I wish I could have been there to stop it." I say. I look to the floor. I hear Old Lady Palmer sigh.  
"There was nothing you could have done, honey. It's the overseer's fault and I know it wasn't a mistake." She expresses. I nod.  
Freddie pulls me away. We keep moving. We are near my dad's office and I can feel my stomach flipping. I take a deep breath.  
Amata runs to me when she sees me. Her arms immediately wrap around me.  
"Oh my god you are back! You came! I… I am so happy you came!" she says.  
"Of course! I came as soon as I heard." I say. Her arms wrap around tighter but regretfully I have to pull away. She looks at me worried. Her eyes glance at Freddie and she notices the blood.  
"Oh my god, what did you do?" she asks him. He shrugs.  
"He got shot. I have to treat him. Then we can talk." I say. I feel myself rather blunt so I smile to relax a little. But seeing Amata was just stressful but amazing at the same time.

I sit Freddie down on a stretcher behind a curtain. The strip from my tank top is drenched in blood. It sticks to his skin. I sigh.  
"Wait here." I say. He nods. I walk over to inside the office where the supplies are stored. When I walk in I see blood everywhere. Blood is scattered on the walls floor and ceiling. I look up to see the Robot Andy. I look at him as if he has gone crazy. Then I see whose blood it is. Beatrice. She is some weirdo that walks around the Vault. I don't really know her, except when she gave me poem for my birthday. What a lame gift.  
I can see her skin on her leg has ripped clean off. I wince at the gory scene. From right when I entered Andy greeted me in a cheerful voice, one that made think if I should run or kill the damn thing.  
"Ah, another patient! What will it be? Appendectomy? Tonsillectomy? Hysterectomy?" he asks. His voice grows higher when he says the last option. If I didn't notice all the red that was on his saws and cleavers, I would have laughed. But instead my expression stayed startled.  
"Andy, what happened… all this blood…" I say horrified.  
"Ah yes well you see in all the chaos that was going on around here, Beatrice seemed to have suffered a painful sprain in her left toe. A rather big one…" he says intently. My jaw drops.  
He continues, "Obviously, I had no choice but to amputate the leg. Yeah, I regretfully have to say that the operation was an uh not an uh success."  
I look at the dead body on the operating table. "You think you so? Andy what the hell?!" I yell.  
"Um and I seem to have cut off the wrong leg." He says. My jaw drops even further.  
"So you are the doctor?" I ask. I slap my hand to my head. When I said the people of Vault 101 were idiots, I meant it.  
"Um, well I have been, oh what's the human term, um fired? I have been resigned to cleaning duty. And ironically my first job is to clean the clinic." He says. He chuckles. I nod and look back at the body. Cautiously I walk over to where the medical supplies are kept. I open the locker. I collect medical tape, Stimpacks, gauze, thread, needle and a bottle of cleaning alcohol. Then something catches my eye. The verse that was framed in our room is now here, hung up on the wall. I take it down and put it in my pack. But there is secret shelf behind it. I find a bag of bottle caps and a holotape. My heart sinks. I download it to my Pip-Boy to listen to later. I know almost instantly that dad's voice is on the tape. I check the shelf again. I pull out a necklace. It was gold with a little cross. Gasping, I place my hand over my mouth. _Was this my mom's? _ I put it around my neck. I walk out of room to Freddie.  
When he sees my hands full of medical supplies, he chuckles.  
"Wow." He says. I don't look up. Instead I sort out through the medical supplies. I take the bottle of cleaning alcohol. I hear Freddie sigh. He grabs my hand and I snap my head up to him. Freddie was gazing at me with a look that he wasn't fooling around anymore.  
I look back at him, and my stare is softer than I would like. For a moment I get lost in his eyes but I quickly glance away, and then look back with a raised brow.  
"What?" my voice sounds smooth but hard. Not what I was trying to do. I think it might have turned him on. He shakes his head.  
"Nothing." He says. Freddie looks down at his hand. I follow his gaze. Relaxing my hands, I untie the strip. No part of the fabric is dry. When I put it on the floor, my hands are already covered in Freddie's blood. Then I gasp. Freddie pulled me close to him with his unwounded hand. Our faces are close that our noses are touching.  
For some reason this surprises me. I thought we got over each other a long time ago. He still wants me? Not as a significant other, but sexually. He has already wanted and has had me. But I have to admit. I have noticed him looking at me in my tight leather pants.  
He pulls my face to his and we kiss. He caressed my face and I felt something wet and warm. But I don't pull away. We kiss longer than a moment. I hear Dogmeat bark and then whine. But when I figured out what I was doing, I pull away. That's when I realized what was warm and wet. It was his hand that was oozing out blood. I grab his hand. He whimpers. I take a medium piece of gauze and pour alcohol. I look at his palm. The bullet went through. I clean the wound and Freddie groans. I get a stimpack and inject him. I chuckle when I hear him say ow. He looks at me.  
"What?" he asks. I shake my head, but I can't help but laugh. He looks offended but smiles as if he wanted to know the joke.  
"Nothing." I say, but laugh again. "For some reason, I think its funny how you said ow when the needle punctured your skin. You have no idea how many of these I injected, I don't even feel it anymore." I laugh. He chuckles and looks down.  
"You've changed, Danny, a lot." He admits. I look up at him. _Have I? _I chuckle.  
"I don't think I have much." I disagree. He doesn't say anything for a while. It's not until I am stitching his palm that he says something.  
"You have though. What happened out there?" he asks. I froze. _I got laid, killed a few people, found my dad, just to watch him be killed in front of me._ I look down and what I thought is exactly what I tell him. He clenches his jaw.  
"I'm sorry, about your dad. He was a good guy." He says. For some reason I am tired of people saying this, as if they really knew him. As if they knew his true character. And as if they were sorry that he was dead. No one is as sorry as I am.  
"Yeah, lots of people are saying that." I sigh. He holds my hand and I sigh. I give him look. He shakes his head.  
"Don't." he says. I slant my head giving in a puzzled expression. It makes him smile but he shakes his head.  
"What? Don't what?" I question. I continue sewing his palm. I think I did a good job, better than Andy that's for fucking sure.  
"That look, just let me… console you." He says. I laugh hysterically. He frowns and looks down again shying away. I stop laughing.  
"What makes you think I need consoling?" I ask. He looks back up at me and I am lost in his eyes again. I just wish it wasn't this easy to be hypnotized.  
"Your father was everything to you. And you were everything to him. I could only imagine how it is like to lose everything." He says. I bite back the tears. He was right.  
I put gauze of both sides and seal it with the medical tape. I look at the wound to check anything that I have missed. It was good.  
"You might want to wash off the blood on your cheek." Freddie says. I laugh and feel my cheek. the blood has already dried.  
I run to the bathroom and wash my face. With a fresh towel I dry my face dry. I take a deep breath. I look in the mirror. What I see is completely different than the last time I looked in this mirror. Freddie was right. I have changed.  
My eyes were wild and fiendish. The cuts on my face just made me look more cunning. It was odd looking like this. I walk back to the clinic to talk to Amata.

Amata comes in and takes another look at me. She smiles. "You look so different." She says. I nod. I feel different. "I hope you can help us set things back straight." She continues. I nod again.  
"You saved my life back there Amata, the least I could do is help you now when you most need it." I say. Her smile grows. But as quickly as the smile came, it fades.  
"I…I just wish we could have saved more people. Like Jonas, or Chip or Floyd and the Hannons. So many people died that night." She says. Hannons?! Paul Hannon was one of the Tunnel Snakes when it first became a gang. Hell, Paul was following Butch around before then. But Paul was always nice to me, when Butch wasn't around. Butch always called him my boyfriend. Amata told me he liked me but I never gave it much thought. But he died. He's dead. That's hard to even think about just like the death of Jim.  
"Hannons?" I ask. She nods. "How did Paul die?" I ask. She sighs and crosses her arms. Her eyes travel down.  
"He was got severe wounds and no one could treat him. I mean you and your dad were the only ones who could treat him." she sheepishly says. I bite my lip and narrow my eyes. Paul died because of me. I rub my eyes. "My father killed them to protect a lie. The vault wasn't always closed. They lied to us Danny! For some reason they closed the door and swore to keep the secret when we were babies and say it was never open." She says.  
"So, now you want it to be open?" I ask. She nods her head slowly.  
"But they are keeping us locked down here, just to keep that untainted from the outside world fantasy." She says.  
"Why don't you just leave then? It's not that hard especially now." I say. She shakes her head.  
"It's not that simple. Some of us want to stay, this is our home. But we can't live here like this." She states. I look at her shocked and confused. _She wants to stay down here? Is she nuts?  
_"You have to stop the overseer. We need to be able to connect with the outside world. We need to be able to trade and communicate but we can't do this with the Overseer keeping us down here." She continues. I nod.  
"Okay. I will help, but I will come back down and tell you a few things about the wasteland. There are things you need to know to survive from being attacked, okay?" I say. She nods excitedly.  
"Thank you! Of course you are the one that knows most about what's out there from firsthand experience." She comments. I nod. "And, Danny please doesn't hurt him. He's… he's my dad." She says ashamed. Even though I hate the bastard I can understand.  
"I won't, Amata." I promise.  
I give her one last hug and one last look at Freddie. That's when I leave to go see the Overseer.


	9. Chapter 9

9

"Well I see you have returned." Says the Overseer when I enter his office. I give him a glare. Crossing my arms I let him continue. "Done with the dust and ruins in the wasteland? Think you can sneak back in like nothing happened and no one would notice?" he scoffs. "That's too bad, you have no future in this Vault you are tainted." He says as his voice got darker.  
"Tainted? I'm tainted?! You're the crazy bastard who murdered Jonas! So don't call me tainted!" I snap. My body is shaking in anger; I might have to go against Amata's wishes.  
"I assume you are talking about the unpleasantness when you left, yes? Jonas and your dad were endangering everyone's safety in this vault. I did what was necessary to protect residents of the Vault. I did what I needed to protect everyone from the outside." he says. I shake my head. Dogmeat snarls. The overseer glares at Dogmeat.  
"Don't try to justify your murders and lies. They were never threats." I say. He chuckles and looks at me like I am an idiot.  
"Spoken like someone who hasn't had to make difficult decisions in their life. Like someone who has never had to be a leader." He replies. "Jonas was going to leave the Vault with your father. It would have influenced half the vault to leave too. Then the last pure humanity would reduce until there are none left." He says. I sigh.  
"You aren't protecting your people. Can't you see that?" I ask, my voice goes softer now. I looked down as he speaks.  
"I am afraid you are wrong, I am keeping them safe by being untouched from what's above." He explains. I shake my head. "The real danger is the rebels are trying so hard to get to the outside." he continues.  
"The rebels are mad because you lied to them of what's outside." I say. The overseer sighs.  
"They have to understand that we did that so they wouldn't go outside and get killed! To keep them from making the mistake out generation did when we were their age." He sighs.  
"Look I may have an idea to help the Vaults problems." I sigh. He chuckles.  
"To fix what you and your dad started? Humor me." he chuckles. I sigh.  
"The rebels are right you need to open the Vault." I say. He laughs. I keep my gaze serious looking at him with no anger, because in the pass all it got me was nowhere.  
"Oh do you now? What makes you think you know how to protect the vault better than me?" he asks. I sigh.  
"You simply don't have enough people to stay here forever. You'll end up harboring a bunch of retarded inbreeds." I say. He nods. He places his hand on his chin and thinks about it for a moment.  
"Well, I do admit, our numbers have decreased since 200 hundred years ago, but we do have enough genetic diversity for a few more generations… but in the long run, you are right." He says. My jaw drops a little.  
"Did… did I just hear what I think I just heard? You agree with me?! Holy shit…" I say. I quickly shake my head. "I mean uh… glad we have an understanding of each other." I say. He nods.  
"My way won't save the vault, but there is someone I know who up to the task." He says. I smile. _Amata. Amata as overseer!_

"Amata, everyone, listen closely. After a conversation with your err… friend I now realize I am not fit to be your leader. I am stepping down as Overseer. Amata I appoint you as new overseer." He announces. Amata is shocked.  
"Thank you, father. I will do my best to lead this vault. I promise." She says happily. The overseer hugs his daughter.  
"You're welcome my dear." He says. He quickly leaves. Amata looks at me with tears of joy in her eyes. She smiles.  
"You did it! I can't believe you talked him into it." She says. I nod.  
"Yeah we had a civil discussion and explained a few things." I say. Her smile grows.  
"Civil? You and him? Okay…" she says. Then her expression changed. "There is something I have to change though." He frowns. My smile fades.  
"What? What is it?" I ask. I have a bad feeling about this.  
"There are things to repair and a lot of bad feelings to mend… people still blame you for people that died. I am going to ask you to leave." She says.  
"What?!" I yell. "I save the Vault and you are kicking me out?" Dogmeat whines.  
"No it's not like that. But if you stay it will cause more problems. The vault can't take anymore conflict. This just has to happen." She says. I sigh.  
"Don't try and sugar coat it, Amata. You are kicking me out, because people are too dense to open their minds and realize that the overseer caused the problems not me. I get my stuff and fucking leave." I say. Amata tries to grab my hand but I pull away.  
"Daenerys!" she yells. I ignore here and keep moving forward. I am hurt that the only best friend I have betrayed me and wants me to leave my home, never to be seen again.


	10. Chapter 10

10

I grab a few books from my bookshelf in my old apartment. Moby Dick, Sherlock Holmes, Physics, Science and Medicine are all the books I grab. I shove them in my pack. Glancing at my bed, I debate whether to take my bedding. I shake my head. _Fuck it._ I grab it.  
I was too angry to think about really deciding or figuring out what I was going to do with stuff. I even grabbed dad's old medical journals and notes; I wanted to be a doctor like him but it doesn't mean I am going to treat people.  
My pack is too full to obtain my bedding so I roll it into a cylinder and use the belt straps on the backpack to secure it. Once I am done I sit and look at the room. It's been a long time since I have been here. My leg shakes from anticipation. I will have to leave soon and never recrudesce. Will there be a time when I can come back? And if there is a chance of living here, would I return? Dogmeat sits on the other side of the room, staring at me. I know he was concerned about how I was feeling; having been through so much.  
I lay my head in my hands and look at the cold, metal floor. _Would it be too painful?_ The only reason I would recoil back in this metal box was if I had children. They would be safe and isolated from the outside dangers, which is exactly what my father did.  
But I never really gave much thought to having kids, especially after escaping. In real depth of the thought one outturn comes up, I am never going to have kids. There are too many dangers for the child to face. And losing a child of my own, I know my heart couldn't bare it.  
It is also unfair to put a hopeful, glorious joy out in this sack of shit world we live in. Nothing but murder, pain, greed, and evil lurks in the shadows, and not only that but placed into a wasteland full of dust and heat. Nothing to really hope for in this life… but to stay alive.  
I sigh and give a mental goodbye to the place I grew up in. Grabbing my bag, I leap up. When I leave the apartment I don't look back to see the door shut behind me. But I hear the hiss of the electric door close and that is enough to push a sorrowful breath of air out of my lungs. I move on leaving from the way I came, but to my regret I walk into Butch. By the look on his face, I could tell that he knows me never coming back. Dogmeat sighs but sits down. Butch looks down at the dog and gives a feeble smile. I take a deep breath.  
"Thanks, Nosebleed, for uh, helping the tunnel snakes being able to leave." He says, nervously scratching the back of his neck. When I see his hair shine in the fluorescent lights, I know he put gel in his hair. I think Freddie didn't have any because Butch took all of it. I hide a chuckle by looking down.  
"No problem, Butch. Just being the fucking good girl you have always known." I say. I wish I wasn't always so good. There are times when I wish I took no shit and no one ever walked all over me. I sigh and look up at him. His blue eyes are just what I remember, aquamarine with a sapphire ring around the outside. But every now and then, in the light I can see little teal diamonds around in his irises. I bet in the wasteland sunlight that I could see their radiance.  
"I heard you have to leave." He says. I nod narrowing my eyes. The feeling of the utter betrayal lingers in my stomach. Butch sighs.  
"It's a shame you have to go. But you'll make it out there. I'm sure of it." He says. I give a weak smile. "Maybe I will see you on the outside." he adds. I give a slight nod.  
"Maybe." I agree. I walk past him, just sliding my shoulder by his chest. My shoulder tingles with goosebumps.  
"And hey, Nosebleed." He starts. I stop and turn to him. Dogmeat continues down the stairs. I guess patience is not his strong point. A smile spread across his striking face and I could tell that his next comment will be a sincere. "It was good to see you."  
I smile and continue down the stairs and follow Dogmeat. _It was good to see you too, Butch._


	11. Chapter 11

11

Vodka burns as it travels down my throat. Gob wipes down the dirty counter with a rag. The saloon is empty and you could hear a bobby pin drop. Nova leans against her usually place, the wall by the washroom, which is all a curtain covering a corner with a bucket. It seems dreary in the saloon tonight, quiet with no one chatting up any good news. After all it is late in the night and everyone has either retired or strolling around in the cool night. No one is out for a drink.  
The radio plays a classic song that rather goes with this scene; The Ink Spots playing I don't want to set the world on fire.  
It echoes in the tin saloon. My gloomy presence doesn't help up the mood in the bar. Instead I think I make it worse, but what the hell do I care? I take another drink. This is my second bottle of alcohol. First it was wine to numb the senses, then this prized bottle of notorious liquor, vodka. I can feel my eyelids wanting to close more and more with every drink I take, but I keep them open. The longer I can stay awake the more I could consume. Maybe get alcohol poisoning.  
As I get deeper in drunkenness the idea seems better than it did before. What is the point of living? What purpose do I have? Project Purity? Nah that bitch Li has the brotherhood to help her. I am not needed.  
I wonder if I told Gob what happened with dad. If I did it had to have been tonight, probably drunk. Because when I try to think if I did, I can't remember. I am too far gone to even give the slightest fuck about anything at the moment.  
The little bit of liquid that was in the bottle that Gob gave me vanished. I look up at him with weary eyes. Before I ask for more he shakes his head. I raise a brow.  
"Come on, Gob. I can't stop now, I am… I am almost numb enough. I can… I can take more booze." I slur. When I mispronounce some of the words I hide a smile of amusement. _I sound ridiculous._ He continues to shake his head. I moan.  
"Sorry, Smoothskin, but if I give you any more after your hangover, you will never forgive Me." he says. I sigh. I nod and get up. I almost fall by trusting my own footing. The room starts spinning. That's when I feel like I am about to pass out.  
I pondered about what dad was like drunk. He would have had to gotten drunk with mom, there is nothing to deny it. Did he slur and laugh like me? Or did he pass out before any fun was to have been made?  
I make it outside before I feel like falling over. But as I am about to fall someone catches me. I am startled that I stand back up on my own feet. I stumble when I turn to face the person.  
"Whoa easy. You had a few." The man says. I drop my head to the side wondering who the hell this man was. His voice is not familiar and I am about to walk away… quickly.  
He steps out into the stream of light. The man had a light beard and an eye patch. He did look like he could be handy with a gun, maybe even a rifle. I quickly place my hand on where my .375 magnum was supposed to be. But when I feel an empty holster I look down in panic. My facial expression became confused and then gave an 'Aha!' look. I remember giving the gun to Butch.I sigh.  
_God fucking damn it, Butch!_  
"Uh… name is Billy, Billy Creel. Need help finding your way uh home?" he asks. I shake my head too forcefully and I almost fall again, he catches me. I swear I hear a light chuckle come from his lips. I frown. Obviously I rather not have anyone see me this way. _Next time, I drink alone in my house_.  
"Well, I am not going to take no for an answer. Which way is your house?" he asks. I groan but allow him to put my arm around his shoulder. Billy is strong. He almost lifts my feet off the ground. Stubbornly not admitting defeat, I keep my feet placed firmly on the ground.  
"By that bitch named Jericho." I stammer. Jericho. I met him today when I got back from Vault 101. Called me jackass and wouldn't stop complaining about scavengers. And as if I am one, he began to insult me passively. _Asshole_.  
Billy laughs while nodding his head in agreement. He doesn't reply but if he had it in him I think he would say a nastier thing about him than I did.  
It isn't long until he brings me to my door. I get my key ring and struggle to find the key. Billy waits until I am in my house. When I find the key and open my door I nod for him to go. I slam my door and lock it. Dogmeat is curled up on a chair in the far corner of the room. He barks at me. I wave him away. With a few falls, I make it up the stairs in one piece. Wadsworth is hovering in an extra room.  
"Good evening, Madam!" he beams. I moan loudly.  
When I get to my bed, I waste no time and collapse on the mattress. It smells fresh and wonderful. Thank god I washed it in Abraxo Cleaner. Plus the bedding from Vault 101 makes it more comfortable. Maybe I will even be able to get wink of sleep. I feel the miserable ache in my stomach. When I open my eyes to look for something to vomit in, I feel my head go dizzy. Then I look down, I see the bucket that I put there for when I got home.  
"Good job, Daenerys." I say to myself. Leaning over the bed, I could feel the alcohol make reappearance in my throat. I throw up. I can hear Wadsworth wince in the other room. I wipe my mouth on my sleeve and crawl under the covers. In some odd way I feel loads better, like I could drink more. But my head is tired and I shut my eyes instead.  
But instead of sleeping, I start shaking. My head is fuzzy and the numbness from drinking is almost gone. I can feel the sudden emotions of my father's death return so quickly; the betrayal of Amata is still fresh in my mind. Curling up in a tight ball, I bite my lip and hope no tears will come. But the feelings are new and fresh in my mind that the idea of not crying is almost impossible. I let the tears come.  
Burring my face in my pillow, I wanted to hide from the world. I shut my eyes and try stop sobbing. At first I had no luck but with time I quickly fell asleep.  
The next day I would travel to Rivet City. I needed a different setting, even if it was in a smelly, dirty old ship.


	12. Chapter 12

12

I sat on my hotel bed staring at my Pip-Boy. I have read the names of the holotapes about a hundred times. I play the first one named Better Days. A woman's voice plays.  
"That batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the second filtration system. We're going to recalibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow so that... James, please, I'm trying to work. Now's not the time! ...So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to… James!" she says. She laughs when she says my father's name and then I know that this was my mother. I sulk.  
"Stop, I need to finish these notes!" she says with a laugh. "We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners that should... Owww! James!" she continues to laugh. "Now? We really shouldn't!" The tape ends.  
Dogmeat howls. He might be laughing at me. My eyes go wide. For some reason the thought of my parents having sex and hearing my dad initiate it, grosses me out. I know that's normal. In the Vault, when two parents kiss it was hell for the kids. I bite my lip. I rather not have to sit through another tape that could possibly have sex sounds on it. Disgusting.  
I leave the hotel room and head to Gary's Galley. The Muddy Rudder might have Tammy Hargrave sitting at the bar, and I rather not have to resist the urge of shooting someone. Today I wasn't in the best mood. Actually I was in the worst mood I have ever been in. And it didn't help when I saw James Hargrave walking down the hallway.  
I make the mistake about looking at him. He glares and stops walking in the other direction. He isn't in the happiest mood either.  
"What do you want?!" He yells. I cross my arms and raise a brow.  
"You know now I know why you are such a brat." I say. I can see his eyes get darker. "Because your mom is such a bitch."  
"What the hell did you say about my mom?!" he asks. He is literally shaking in anger. Fists are up ready to hit, and I think he is going to try and fight me.  
"She doesn't give a shit about you all she can do is drink and hope you'll just go away." I say. He tightens his little fists.  
"Oh, we'll see about that! I will show you! I know she cares about me!" He says and he runs away. I roll my eyes. _What a fucking idiot._  
After the incident with James I leave to go back into my room. Drinking doesn't sound as tasteful anymore, especially after talking about Tammy.  
I sit down next to Dogmeat. I play another tape called Project Purity #1. I hear my father's voice and my fist turn into balls.  
"We're back at work after a full week of delays. The Brotherhood Soldiers were able to repair the sentry guns, much to my relief. I know Madison isn't comfortable having them here, but there's no denying that we'd be lost without them. We're still waiting on the full analysis of the last three small-scale purification tests.

Catherine hasn't been feeling well, and it's slowing down our research. I don't mind, but I can tell it's bothering some of the others." The tape ends and my eyes become as big as the moon.  
Did I hear a tape of my conception? Oh my god I am going to be sick…. I play another tape which is number 3. As the tape before it is dad who is talking.  
"Well, there's no more mystery behind Catherine's health problems. The news of her pregnancy has lifted the spirits of everyone here, and given us a renewed interest in making the purifier work. We now have a future generation to provide for.  
The latest tests show that our methods are horribly inefficient, but I think we're on the right track. Catherine refuses to rest; she insists on spending all day in the lab. I've never seen her more driven. She's determined to resolve the power problems before the baby is born. I've tried to reason with her, but it's no use." The tape concludes.  
Hearing that my mother never stopped because she wanted me not having to wait for a better life makes my skin tense. She really loved me, even before she knew me. I play the fifth tape. Dad is again talking.  
"The team has made plans to scale back our work once the baby is born. We're also trying to compensate for the increase in mutant attacks; no one is really talking about the implications of it. There are more of them than before. We know it, and the Brotherhood soldiers know it. Our relationship with the Brotherhood is straining.  
They're concerned by the lack of concrete results from the project, especially in light of the mutant attacks. They haven't come out and said it, but we all know what's going on. They're questioning whether their involvement in the project is worth the trouble it's causing them. They lost two good men this week, with three more injured." The tape ends.  
_If only I was there._ I play the seventh tape.  
"I am at a loss. My beloved wife is gone. In her place is my daughter, small and helpless. As much as this place means to me... As much as it meant to Catherine, this is no place for an infant. Especially an infant without her mother." The tape ends. I take a deep breath.  
I immediately play the eight tape.  
"It's time to go. The project was in trouble before, both internally and externally. Progress has come to a halt, both because our re-calculations have gotten us nowhere, and because the mutant attacks occur several times a day. I regret it has come to this. I know that if I leave, our work may come to an end. Madison has never been on the best of terms with the Brotherhood; aside from Scribe Rothchild, she'll tolerate none of them. If she's the one dealing with them, who knows what will happen. It breaks my heart to go, but I must put the needs of my child before my own." The tape ends.  
I play the tape that I found in my father's office in the Vault.  
"Well, here we are. Nestled all safe and snug inside Vault 101. It's so cold down here. Colder still with Catherine gone... Oh, Catherine... I so wish you were here with me. How the hell am I supposed to do this by myself? Live down in this hole. Take care of our child... But this is our life now, so I guess I'd better get used to it. The Overseer who runs the place is an overbearing bully, but I've dealt with worse." The tape ends and that is the last tape I have.  
I bite my lip. _You did amazing, dad. You took care of me better than anyone else.  
_I cry. I don't even try to stop myself. That's when I think of James Hargrave. He doesn't deserve what I have said to him. I think of what Angela said to me before a few weeks earlier.  
"_He just needs someone who appreciates him, someone who understands him_" Maybe that's all he really needed. Maybe that's all Butch really needed. I rise and try to go find James.


	13. Chapter 13

13

The search for James has stretched over a few days now. No one has been a good help. Everyone on this ship has bigger things to worry about then a snot nosed kid, and people really don't like James. Even Tammy didn't seem to notice. I guess you could say after the first day of looking I wasn't that interested either. But I kept going. There was nothing else really for me to do. Except get drunk and cry more about dad dying. I haven't gotten the scene out of my head.

_ But my dad crawls to the door. I am gasping for air. Dad places his palm against the glass door. I place my hand where his was. I kneel. Tears sting the corners of my eyes. My jaw tightens.  
"Daddy." I whisper. If he couldn't hear me he could read my lips. I could see the tears about to burst out of his eyes.  
"Run! Run!" he yells. I am breathless. I refuse to leave him in there. My dad's eyes close and he collapses on the floor.  
_  
I shudder at the memory that feels more like a nightmare. I shake my head and continue down the isle of tents and booths set up in the Market. I hear from Shrapnel, who works with Flak at Shrapnel N' Flaks that James is a thief and steals ammunition that is lying out on the counter. He says he never caught him in the act, but he sure as hell knows that James is responsible.  
Flak says that he has seen him trying to sell the ammo to some travelers. Flak says he even made a shiny cap or two off of it. Flak is pissed about it but I can see that Shrapnel liked how clever the kid was.  
No one else seems to have valuable information everyone seems to have a problem with Tammy though. No surprise.  
For a moment I think, if he isn't on the boat then that means he left. Ran away? Shit. Where the hell would he go? Not far I don't think he is young but he has to know the dangers in the D.C area. He has to know about the super mutants.  
Most importantly who would he tell? Friends? Who was he friends with? Does he have friends? Not with an attitude like that. Hell, Butch had friends; James is bound to have them. I look around. I don't see any kids in the market. Where the hell would kids go on a ship like this?

Angela told me about how James has a crush on a girl named C.J Young. I ask her how she knows this. Honestly I don't think that James has confidence in anyone, especially Angela.  
"Because," she begins. "He teases her unmercifully. And the look on his face while he does it."  
I raise a brow like she was crazy. Butch definitely teased me but he doesn't have any feelings like that towards me.  
"How is that a sign?" I ask. She smiles and looks down.  
"Because, especially when you are younger, when a boy likes you they are usually mean and bully you. But I don't think that she doesn't feel the same way either." Angela smiles.  
I push my eyebrows together.  
"What do you mean?" I ask. This whole conversation makes no sense. When someone likes someone they look dreamingly in their direction from a far. I remember about a week before Amata's birthday, a week before Freddie and I had sex, Freddie caught me eyeing him when he was presenting his report on America's Weaponry History. The subject did interest me, intrigued me enough that I got up the nerve to ask him to read it, because… well I was busy while he presented.

_Freddie's face was rigid but his skin was smooth and perfectly evenly toned. When he talked his jaw showed off his tiny muscles in his face. Everything was in slow motion when his smooth as honey voice traveled through his mouth.  
Freddie had his Tunnel Snake's jacket off which exposed his tremendous, toned muscles in his arms. When he got nervous, this always happened when he had to be in front of the class, his hands tightened around the paper. I could see his forearm muscles contract. I let the quietest breath leave my mouth, and no one notices.  
My eyes travel up his jaw again and he continue to talk. His lips are next to being noticed. They twitch in a nervous smile, which made me want to sigh with admiration. Next were his eyes that my eyes gape at. I expect them to be glancing down on his paper, but instead they are gazing at me.  
My mouth opens with surprise but only a little. Tiny gasp escapes my lips. We don't stop looking at each other. Without myself realizing it, my mouth is still open. My big brown eyes look up at him, and when I blink it's like I'm batting my eyes.  
I see the Adam's apple in Freddie's throat move as he gulps. I know he is turned on. For the first time, I really felt like I knew what I was doing with Freddie. I can see his chest move with every big, deep breath he takes. The corner of his lips twitch up which makes me raises a brow and glace down at his arms. They tighten.  
"Uh, Mr. Gomez, I advise you stop eyeing the ladies and continue your report. Your grade depends on it." Mr. Brotch orders. When the sharp tone of Mr. Brotch's voice enters our ears, we jump. Everyone snickers. Even Freddie chuckles. He is the first to break eye contact. Freddie looks nervously down at his report and continues to smile.  
Everyone seems pleased, except for Susie Mack; everyone knows that she has had a crush on him as long as I had. If not, she had one longer. Before Freddie continued, he gave me one last look and smile; and I almost melt.  
_I am surprised that we didn't fuck after class. During that whole week we had so much sexual tension. We weren't in class; we would be caught staring at each other in other places, the cafeteria, the gym, even in the hall. Butch would grab Freddie's attention and Amata would grab my attention. When he finally kissed me we lost control. It was amazing.  
"C.J always forgives him. Even helps him out when he needs it. There is going to more than friendship in their future." Angela states. I go pale. When I look down I know she knows something is wrong. Something is wrong…  
"What's the matter?" She asks. I shake my head. "Something I said?" She inquires. I wave her away and continue to shake my head.  
"No, just… just sounds familiar." I say. She smiles and nods her head.  
"Who?" She questions. I look at her with puzzled look. She keeps her grin wide.  
"What do you mean who?" I ask. She rolls her eyes and sighs.  
"What do you mean who?! The guy that you like? I presume he was a bully. But now things have changed?" she questions. I chuckle.  
"None of your business." I scoff. She rolls her eyes.  
"Alright, if that's the way it's going to be then, fine. But remember, I'll be here when you want to talk to Me." she offers. I nod.  
"Where can I find C.J?" I ask. Angela wipes the counter with a dirty rag. She pauses for a moment before talking.  
"She is usually on the Flight Deck playing with James, but I don't know if she will be there." She answers. I nod and tell her thanks before leaving to see C.J.

The day is gloomy and I am almost certain it might rain. It worries me considering the radiation might make the drops tainted with acid. That wouldn't be good to the wastelanders that wonder outside. I make hast to find C.J.  
walking around there are old planes and motorcycles that have broken down from age still standing all around the deck. I search each of the planes, until I see two little feet poking out of a door. They move as if she was trying to crawl into one.  
"C.J?" I call. Her feet stop moving. She sits up and I see her through the window.  
"C.J can I talk to you?" I call again. She nods shyly. Then she climbs out of the aircraft and stands up proudly to me. Dogmeat sits and waits.  
"Whatcha want?" she asks. I smile down at her.  
"I want to know where James is." I say. I kneel down to meet her on an even level. She shies away.  
"I don't know." She says. I knew she was lying.  
"You can tell me. I just want to help him. You miss him don't you?" I ask. She nods her head. She stays silent.  
"I won't tell anyone." I repeat. She looks up at me. Her doe eyes are sad. My expression softens.  
"I am not allowed to tell anyone." She says. I look down at my hands.  
"You can trust me, I won't tell anyone." I say. I look down and laugh. "Especially a grown up. That would be lame." I say. She smiles and nods.  
"Yeah. But I can't say anything. He made me swore that I wouldn't tell anyone." She says. She took this secret very seriously.  
I look around and sigh. There is a low thunder that echoes from behind the grey clouds. The rain is going to come soon. Dogmeat whines.  
"Look, C.J I know that you… care for James, maybe a little more than friends do. But he might be in danger. Take it from a girl like me. The wasteland is a scary place. Every moment there is a threat that can and will kill you. And nightfall… that's worst." I say.  
I can't believe I am saying this, but I am really worried about James. He could be dead. Hell he could be enslaved by now. Let's hope C.J spills his location because his life is in her hands.  
"Please don't tell him that I told you, please!" she says.  
"Of course." I promise while nodding my head. She looks side to side as if she didn't want to see anyone talking, then she leans in close.  
"He is at the old metro station that is real close to here." She says in a whisper. I nod.  
"Do you know what the metro station is called?" I ask. She nods attentively.  
"Anacostia Crossing stations, if he is really in danger, get him back here fast." She says. I nod and pat her shoulder.  
"You should go inside. It's getting dark outside." I say. She nods and we leave to go back inside the boat.

I see James shivering by a concrete wall. When he looks up me, his eyes are pleading for mercy. He doesn't seem mean at all. I could see dry tears on his cheeks.  
"Please… Lady I just want to go home." He pleads. I kneel beside him. Nodding, I look at him for any wounds. Then I see that his hand has some blood seeping through his fingers. I try to remove his hand but he flinches.  
"Don't worry. I here to help." I say. He winces when I softly remove his hand. There was a deep cut from just below his elbow and up his upper arm.  
The cut is deep, needs stitches, fast. I try to keep a calm face so he won't get concerned. That is the last thing I want. I set my bag down on the ground. He shakes.  
"What… wh- is it bad?" he asks. I take a deep breath. I grab a stimpack that is buried on the bottom of my bag. I look up at me and give a weak smile.  
"Nothing I can't handle." I say. He smiles, then immediately winces. I raise the stimpack slowly. I sigh. Then I look up at James.  
"Now, this is going to hurt, I am not going to lie. This will disinfect and will help your body heal itself. I want you to close your eyes, and I want you to count ten, it will be all over by then." I say. He grabs my hand.  
"How much does it hurt?" he asks. My jaw clenches. I look down at the stimpack. I shake my head. Looking back up me can see that James is scared.  
"A lot." I say almost in a whisper. He gulps. James nods for me to continue and he closes his eyes.  
"One. Two. Three." He starts. I take deep breaths. James's hand hasn't left mine. I wait until he says five and in a flash, I grab his wounded arm and quickly inject the stimpack. He stops counting and screams. I pull out the needle. He gives out a sigh.  
"That hurt." He says. I chuckle. Nodding I smile. James pets Dogmeat. My smile widens. Dogmeat seems to like James.  
"It does. How did you, uh, get cut?" I ask. He looks down at it.  
"A mole rat. It jumped out of nowhere and clawed me. I cut it though, with my knife." He says. I nod. He sighs. "I have been eating the bastard for the last few days. Taste disgusting." He says. I smile.  
"We have to get back; a doctor needs to look at your wound. It might need stitches." I say. When I am about to stand, he pulls me back down.  
"I don't want to see my mom." He says. I give him a confused look. He sighs and looks down.  
"You were right. She doesn't care about me. She hasn't tried to find me, like you have." He says. I sigh and look down.  
"Your mom is sick. She does love you, she just troubled. She doesn't know how to show it." I say. He laughs at me.  
"Look, she's a bitch. I don't think she deserves to be a mother." He says. I chuckle. I stand up and hold my hand out to help him up.

"He is going to need stitches." The doctor says. I hear a sigh come out of James's mouth. Doc looks at me. "It's going to cost fifty caps."  
I look to James. He looks on the ground and feels bad. I smile, look at the doctor, and nod.  
"Okay." I say. I pull out the caps and hand them to him. "I'll be right back." I say.  
"No!" James yells. I look back shocked that he doesn't want me to leave. But I smile and look at Dogmeat.  
"Dogmeat, stay." I order. Dogmeat jumps on the bed and lies next to him. "I won't be long." I say. I walk down to the Market and buy a few items.  
I return to the clinic with a Nuka Cola and Potato Crisps. I hand them to James. He thanks me. The Doctor was almost done stitching.  
"You going to be okay?" I ask. He nods and smiles. His hand is patting Dogmeat's head.  
"Yeah, I will be fine." He assures me. I smile down at him, for this moment I feel better, but now with nothing to distract me from the pain of loss of dad, I think I won't be away from the bottle for very much longer.


	14. Chapter 14

14

**Two Months Later  
**  
The creak of the immense, thick, bulky door sets my teeth on edge. But with every entrance I make to the Muddy Rudder, I realize that I am getting more accustomed with the screeching doors of Rivet City. But I can feel my liver quench every time I enter this scummy bar to get hammered.  
The floor is disarrayed with empty bottles that loudly clank when I kick them as I walk. I see Ted and Paulie playing pool. Ted is pretty cool. Both of them hide in the abandoned storage rooms and get a fix, hiding from the guards or their families.  
The dim fluorescent lights give a dim green color to the room. It is darker than it was last night, some lights are flickering. But all that doesn't matter when I see Harkness sitting at the bar. I smile. Harkness and I having been drinking together almost every night starting about a month ago. I like Harkness and he likes me. I am just waiting until he makes the move and I am swooned. But for now, I will settle for a round being bought for me.  
I sit on the barstool next to him. Belle already knows what I am going to ask for, vodka. I usually start out with hard liquor and then fall asleep to wine. Belle waves me away from saying anything, and pours me a shot. As Harkness drinks his whiskey, he eyes me. I smile with a brow raised.  
"What's going on Harkness?" I ask. He gives me a charming grin and I find myself gawking at his lips. I quickly gulp down my drink.  
"Nothing really, got a few newbies in the town today." He says while putting down his whiskey. Ever since I met Harkness, I have always felt there was something mysterious about him. In his eyes, there was something more to him and his story. It intrigues me.  
"Any trouble makers?" I question with a mischievous simper. He snickers. I love it when he laughs, small boyish dimples show on his face. I take another drink.  
"No, at least I don't think so. One is sitting at a booth over there if you are interested to investigate." He says nodding his head to a dark corner.  
"Well I can already tell he is a loner." I say not removing my eyes from the corner. I can hear the skepticism in Harkness's voice.  
"How is that?" He asks. I look back at him with my eyebrows raised. When I realize he is totally confused, my gaze softens.  
"Sitting in a dark corner in a bar is an obvious cliché." I explain. "Almost pathetic." I run my mouth. I smile and feel a little cocky. After downing another shot, I held my hand up high and wave Belle over.  
"Belle! Send a round to the loner in the dark." I say. I am sure that the guy in the corner hears me. When Belle delivers the drinks and I can see the dark silhouette glancing over his shoulder at me.  
I keep my eyes on the dark object as I drink another shot. Harkness laughs behind me. I turn to him wondering what is amusing him so much.  
"What?" I ask. He smiles exposing the dimples that make me want to sigh.  
"Nothing, just you are so brave? Is that the word?" he questions. I throw my head back and laugh. _Is he serious?  
_"No I don't think so. I am cocky, but it's the alcohol that's loosening me up." I say. He cocks up a brow. It makes him look sexy and daring. I straighten my back and it arches a little, I want him to sweep me up and take me to my room. I would let him. It's been a long time coming. When I am about to reach into my pocket and give him my key to my room I hear someone say my name behind me.  
"Daenerys?" the man says. I turn around and I gasp. I don't laugh, I don't smile and I don't cry. I stay there with eyes wide and jaw dropped. _He survived longer than a second in the wasteland.  
_"H-Hey Butch." I say. His grin is more charming than Harkness's. I look up at him wishing I haven't been so cocky.  
"Thanks for the drink, Nosebleed." He says. Raising his glass to me, I can see his eyes and that's when I lost it. My handshakes and my shot glass spills. His eyes… they remind them of my fathers. Blue, but not as icy as Butch. But just the hue can make me feel unsteady. I can feel Harkness's possessive behavior radiate off of his body. He stands.  
"You got a problem?" He questions. Butch laughs. I tense up. I have a feeling Harkness is going to punch Butch and I think Butch is going to fight back. my fingers go through my hair. Instead of looking at Harkness, Butch keeps his gaze on me.  
"You got a boyfriend? Im hurt you didn't tell him about me." he says. I roll my eyes.  
"You didn't come up in conversation." I say looking down. Harkness doesn't relax. I look over my shoulder. "This is Butch, uh, a childhood… um bully? Whatever I helped him out a few times and I uh… yeah. Oh and Nosebleed is my nickname." I say. Harkness tenses.  
"Let me guess, he punched you and got a nose bleed. So he thought it was a clever nickname?" he asks angrily.  
I nod. He almost marches up to Butch but I stop him by putting my palm on his chest. What surprises me is that, he is cold. I keep my hand on his chest.  
"Don't. He isn't worth it. Besides…" I say laughing. "I broke his nose." Even Butch laughs but Harkness only smiles.  
"Okay, if you really don't want me too." He says. Then he glares at Butch. "But if anything happens, it will be your nose that bleeds." Butch nods.  
I look back at Butch and the pain of dad's death fills my stomach and clouds my mind. I look at Belle and nod. she gives me the rest of the bottle of Vodka.  
"Cheers." I say and I leave the Muddy Rudder.


	15. Chapter 15

15

When I stumble out to the flight deck, the graceful cold greets me, as if I was an old friend. The mist caresses my shoulders. I shiver. I finish my bottle of vodka and I am numb. I don't feel any pain. Instead I feel on top of the world.  
But that feeling is sort lived when my stomach irrupts like a volcano. I run to the railing and throw up. When I was done I wipe mouth but slip. I almost fall off the railing but something grabs me from behind. When I turn around I laugh and completely forget I almost fell to my death.  
"Hey! Its Butchy wutchy!" I giggle while I poke his nose. He shakes his head away from my finger. He sighs. He has his hands firmly gripping my shoulders. I feel completely vulnerable.  
"Danny." He says. "You almost fucking fell off the railing." He says. I nod but burst out laughing. The alcohol makes me giddy.  
"What can I say? I'm a bit clumsy." I say. He frowns at me. But my face grows serious and I look at him. His face is tanned and has a few cuts and bruises. I wonder if he had some trouble on the way here. The big question is how the hell he got here without being killed?  
His pout makes my insides crawl. I gaze at his lips, and I don't think he notices. But we both jump when we hear sharp yell.  
"Daenerys? You okay?" the man asks. I look over Butch's shoulder. I had to stand on my tippy toes to even get a glance. It's Harkness.  
"Harkness!" I chirp. Harkness smiles at me. I move out of Butch's arms. I grab Harkness shoulders and shake him.  
"Butch just saved my life!" I slur. "He is a hero!" then I giggle. I feel Butch grabs my shoulders.  
"Danny, time for bed." Butch says. I laugh.  
"You work pretty fast Butchman!" I say. Butch rolls his eyes and takes me to my room. It takes Butch awhile to settle me down and lay still. He takes out a fixer. He flicks the syringe. I chuckle. As I calm down, I can feel a little bit more in control of my mind. Dogmeat is asleep in the corner where I left him last. He twitches in his sleep.  
"Just like a natural." I say. Butch half smiles and I stare at his lips. He wears a black undershirt with blue jeans. His tan arms have muscular definition that makes my back tense up. He has gotten stronger since I saw him last.  
He injects me with fixer. I inhale sharply. His gaze is soft and I gawk at him. He notices and… he actually blushes. I smile. I can feel my drunkenness go down as the seconds go by.  
"How did you get here Butch? I mean why are you in this hell hole?" I ask. He glances at me and I am lost in his eyes.  
"Why are you?" he asks. His face is serious. I stay silent. "What are you doing, Daenerys?" when he says my whole name, my heart sinks. I look down, trying not to break. _The booze is stronger and cheaper. _  
"This isn't you. This isn't the Danny I grew up with." He says. He's right, this isn't me, but I don't care and why should he.  
"What? I am not the Danny you teased, fought, and beat up? No I'm not. I'm also not the girl who saved your mom… if you asked me the same thing right now I would leave her to die and rot like the piece of shit she is." I yell. Butch doesn't even flinch. This surprises me. More than I would like. There is a long pause. My jaw clenches. He sighs and breaks the silence.  
"Wouldn't make much of a difference. She's already dead." He says. My brows raise and I feel a bit sorry for what I said, but that doesn't mean I didn't mean it. I look down at the mattress that I am lying on. I sigh.  
"I'm… I'm sorry." I whisper. I don't look up but I hear the low chuckle that he releases. He went through what I went through. He lost a parent that was close to him. Not only has that he never known who his real father was. But he did mention that he thinks that his father isn't dead.  
"It doesn't fucking matter anymore." He says throwing the fixer box to the wall. I flinch when the sound is louder than I expected. More silence. Then he sighs and looks at me.  
"What happened to you?" He asks. I know he is sincere. We don't break eye contact and I feel a single tear fall down my cheek.  
"I watched my whole life die." I say. We stay looking at each other. "There was nothing I could do, but I feel…" I gulp down as I hear my voice shake. "I feel there was something that I could have done to save him." I rest my in my hand. "I watch my dad gets killed. And he is the one that flipped the switch." I sob. Butch struggles on what to do. When he puts his hand on my shoulder I jump out of the bed and hug him tightly. He is the only one that knew my father. He was the only one that knew how much I loved him. I tuck my face in his neck and I sob.  
After a few minutes the tears stop coming and all I do is breathe deeply. I remove my arms that I wrapped around his and I walk to the other side of the room my back is not facing him.  
"I'm sorry." I say.  
"Don't worry about it. I don't think tears stain." He chuckles. I shake my head and turn.  
"No." I whisper. "For what I said to you when uh…" I rub my head. "When I got the name Nosebleed." I say.  
His jaw clenches but then he smiles. I hear him chuckle. "That? Don't worry about it. I… I deserved it." He says. I raise a brow.  
"No one deserves it. As much of an asshole you are, you don't deserve it." I say. He smiles. Then he shakes his head.  
"I was such an asshole to you." He sighs. "No I was more than that. I just… I want you to know I regret it. It wasn't the right way to go about it…" he says.  
"Go about what?" I ask. He stays silent. I sigh. "You don't know how much I regret saying what I said to you. You might understand it if you truly do regret being the asshole you were but… I think about often. More often than I'd like." I say. He smiles again but then his face goes cold.  
"You know who my father is?" he asks. I shake my head. He sighs again. "Think…who looks like me." he says. I think through everyone in the vault but I blank. He sighs.  
"Officer Gomez is my father." He says. The air is literally sucked out of me. I look around trying to process this information.  
"Holy fucking shit." I exhale. I look at him surprised that he thinks that this normal. "How long did you know about this?" I ask. He shrugs.  
"A little bit before you fucked Freddie." He says bluntly. I straighten my posture and purse my lips. Crossing my arms I don't break eye contact. _Why do I feel like that was a cheap shot?_  
"Is that why you were so angry? That your brother betrayed you by fucking me? The girl who you hated for all of your life?" I question. He shakes his head. I know he is angry.  
"No!" he says as he shoots up from his chair. He comes close to me, ready to yell in my face. "I was mad because he betrayed me! He knew that I…" he stops and calms down. When he is about to turn I grab his arm. I can feel his muscles under my skin and my arm feels like jelly. He stops and looks at me. He sees the effect that his body has on me. I let go and his gaze softens.  
"What did he know?" I ask, still not looking at him. I am afraid of what he might say, so I am thankful that he doesn't say anything.  
I sit down on the bed and lean and cup my face in my hands. My head feels like it was spinning and I don't even have a hangover. Butch sits down on the chair.  
"Do you have any water?" Butch asks. I nod.  
"In my bag." I sigh pointing over to my pack. I hear him walk over to my pack and look through it. Then I hear him stop and he breathes heavily. I raise head from my hands. "I was sure that there was…" I stop. I see Butch holding up the Tunnel Snake's jacket that he gave me before I left the vault. My jaw dropped a little. He seemed surprised as I was.  
"You kept this?" He asks. I nod. He chuckles. "Why the hell would you keep this old thing? I would have sold it long ago." He says. I stay silent. _I missed you._ "Why did you keep this?" he asks again.  
I just look up at him eyes as big as the moon, and I shrug. He smiles, wider than ever before. I push my eyebrows together.  
"What?" I ask. He looks down for a second then looks at me with the big blue eyes that I can't stop loving.  
"You know why I was mad at Freddie for… having sex with you?" he asks. I shake my head. "Because… I… I liked you." My face goes pale and I narrow my eyes. _Liked, past tense. He did like me, he doesn't like me. _My fists tighten.  
"How long did you like me?" I ask. I still can't look at him, so keep my eyes down.  
"When did I start teasing you?" he asks with a smile. My head shoots up.  
"What the fuck? You punched me in the chest and I cried, you punched me in the nose and I bleed. When did that translate into I like you?!" I say. He frowns.  
"I didn't know how to react." He says. I laugh.  
"So causing me harm sounded like the best option on how to deal with this… admiration." I say. He sighs and then nods.  
"It was more than admiration… I was mad at you for making me have these feelings and running after Freddie. The worst part is that he knew." He pauses. I narrow my eyes again. I remember that night. I remember when Butch entered the room and the look on his face. That look, that look of being crushed.

_ In the doorway, stood wide eyed, mouth opens Tunnel Snake Leader. Butch. I gasp. He stares for a second and leaves the room.  
"Oh no." I say. I get up start putting my bra and underwear on franticly. Freddie looks confused. And stares at me for a moment._

"I guess I deserved it. I mean he did have a thing for you, I learned that after you guys… uh fucked. But he was planning of fucking Susie, but I beat him to the punch." Butch says. I snap my head up.  
"No fucking way. She was in love with Freddie why would she fuck you?" I ask. I cross my arms. He chuckles.  
"She was convinced it would make him jealous. It did so well he did you." He says. I nod. Then I blush and laugh. "What?"  
"Um, you guys became friends after a while… um did he ever talk about… well you know?" I ask. He laughs and nods.  
"Well when we became cool, uh people in the group wanted to know details." He says. I stop him.  
"No don't blame this on the group. You wanted to know the details." I smile. He smiles. And he nods.  
"Okay, I did." He admits. I remember the sex. Even though what happened after wasn't the best it still was… amazing.

_He gently pulled my hands away and kisses my breast. I close my eyes. He finishes taking off his underwear. We kiss when he is first in me. I pull away from his lips to gasp from the surprising tingling.  
My back arches, my head tilts back and my hand grip the sheets so tight my fingers go numb. He gently rubs my thighs and the arch in my back. I grab his hair tug on it not too hard, but hard enough to let him know to keep going. When he finishes, I am out of breath. We don't break eye contact. He slides back up to me._

"From what hear you liked it." He says. I smile. I shake my head in disbelief that I am talking about my sex with Freddie. I sigh.  
"This is… this is too fucking weird." I say. He laughs. I blush. I try to hide my face with my hands, but he pulls them away.  
"Look he already told me everything, how long your nails were." He says. I shove him away playfully. He laughs.  
"Jesus, didn't you were rough too." He says. I laugh, I couldn't help it, Butch is an annoying asshole but he is charming. I roll my eyes. But I know there something that he isn't telling me, but I decide to play with him. I look down coyly.  
"So, uh… Freddie did like me?" I ask. Butch's smile fades and he nods. I bite my lip. "He didn't just want to fuck me there was more." I say. He nods. "Is it because of him that you stopped liking me?" I ask. He looks at me as if I said something completely out of context.  
"What do you mean I stopped liking you I never said that." He says. My jaw drops. _Fuck.  
_I remember how I felt when Butch yelled at me. How could he still like me after that?

_He turns around. His face is full of fury and the tone of his voice is sharp like a knife. "Is that all you think about? You and your precious daddy? Do you ever think that a decision of yours can seriously fuck someone up?!" He yells. When he yells I look up worried of what he might do to me. I feel small and innocent like a doe being chased by a wolf. I think I can feel its claws on my heels._

_"No."_

"Well fuck." I say. He laughs. I narrow my eyes. Butch is still sitting on the ground where I shoved him.  
"Well, since I told you a secret." He says. I look at him. "Tell me one."  
I sigh.  
"Like what? Besides are you ten? I will tell you if I want to tell you." I snap. I raise a brow. He smiles.  
"Why did you keep that jacket?" he asks. My smile fades. I look down at my hands.  
_Because I missed you. It has your smell. It reminded me of home. Because I think I starting to feel things for you.  
"_Because the jacket is cool?" the answer is more like a question. He nods.  
"Tunnel Snakes Rule." He says. He stands and walks over to me, sits next to me and takes my hand. I exhale. He gives me the charming smile.  
"You can tell me." he says. We are close. I almost can't contain myself. My fists tighten. He leans closer. I shake my head.  
"No." I say. He leans in, his lips by my ear.  
"Come on." He begs. His fingers lightly touch my neck. I flinch away.  
"Butch… I…" I stop. Why the hell should I stop? Why should I not do what I want for a change? Then I move closer beside him. "You want to know why I kept the jacket?" I ask. He smiles.  
"Why?" he asks. My breath is unsteady and I feel like my lungs are slowing. I feel so scared. I don't think I ever told anyone I liked them.  
"I like you." I say. I exhale. I close my eyes. "That sounds so fucked up." When I open my eyes he smiling looking down. I get up and run my fingers through my long dark hair. Then I hear him get up behind me. I feel his breath on my neck. The goosebumps flutter up my back and I exhale a cool breath of air.  
He rubs his hands on my arms. I close my eyes I lean up against his chest. It's warm and comforting. I close my eyes. I feel one of his hands feel the curve in my spine and the other on my chest.  
I link my fingers in the hand that is on my chest. I turn my head so my nose is touching his neck. I can smell his scent. Clean and fresh. The vault soap still lingers on his skin.  
I see Butch looking at me with his gorgeous blue eyes. I think I could look in them forever. He leans in and places his lips upon mine. My mind goes blank and my legs feel weak.  
But there is something I do feel, something that I haven't felt in a long time. My heart begins to beat for the first time since dad died, and I feel warm again.


	16. Chapter 16

16

I turn to look at Butch; his eyes are on fire with life. I want to kiss him again so badly and I know he wants to as well. Before I can do anything he pulls me in and kisses me. I jump up so he catches my legs. I grab his hair and his lips stop moving. I pull away.  
"What?" I ask. He looks at me with a puppy dog eyes. I roll my eyes. "Fine I won't touch the hair." I say. He smiles. My hand is sticky with gel. I look my hand and then look at him.  
"This much gel?" I ask with a smile. He chuckles like he is nervous. I sigh. I really like pulling on the hair, now I am sad that he won't let me. I pout. He sighs.  
"Fine." He groans. "Fuck up the hair, but only when we are fucking, during the daytime and in public no touching the hair. It's a bitch to redo." He says. I smile. We kiss and I tug on the hair more than I would normally do. He moans.  
He walks us over to the bed, lays me down and lies on top of me. I couldn't believe we were doing this. In my middle it tingles. I let my hand go up his chest under his shirt. We look at each other. Both are breathing heavily. Then I laugh and look away.  
"What?" he asks. I continue to laugh.  
"It's just funny." I say.  
"What?" he asks. I smile. "What?" he begs. I sigh.  
"If someone told me that this would be happening, I would have told them to go fuck themselves." I say. We look at each other for a while and the smiles are wiped off our faces. He leans down and kisses me. His tongue enters my mouth. It's so soft. When he pulls away he chuckles.  
"That's one of the reasons why I am enjoying this so much." He says. I smile and he kisses my neck.  
"Really? What's the other reasons?" I ask. In-between kisses he says a few.  
"Freddie, in the end I got you." He says. "I'm a guy and sex is great." I laugh at that one. "Because you are extremely attractive." I give a loud laugh and stop him from kissing my neck. I grab his face with my hands.  
"Extremely attractive?!" I blurt. He looks at me confused and sits up.  
"Yeah, I mean…" he glances down at my ass. "…damn," he leans down to me. "And these." He grabs my breast. "And I love your eyes." He says caresses my face. "They're big and brown, soulful." Then he looks at my lips. Before he speaks I say it for him.  
"My lips are perfectly shaped." I say. He puts two fingers under my chin. He kisses me.  
"Not only that but they're color, almost striking." He says. I smile. He bites my neck. "And…" he mumbles something I can't hear him.  
"What?" I ask. He looks at me and then quickly looks away. I wait for his response. Then he sighs and looks at me with a smile.  
"Why don't we get these pants off?" he says I slap his hand and smile.  
"What the hell did you say?" I question. He sighs and rolls his eyes. He gets off of me. But I pull him back, and I pout. He smiles.  
"I love that pout." He blurts. "It's sexy." I sigh.  
"Fine doesn't tell me." I say. He sighs and puts his arm around my shoulder. I look down thinking of how much I want to rip off his shirt.  
"Look, I said that I… I love you." He says. I look at him and I laugh so loudly that Dogmeat wakes up. He growls at me. When I stop laughing I find that Butch is hurt. "Oh come on Butch you know why I have trouble believing that." I say.  
"I have liked you my whole life. I have loved you since a few days before you fucked Freddie." He says. I run my fingers through my hair. I am not afraid of him being in love with me; it's that I can't return the feeling.  
"Butch, I…" I can't finish a sentence.  
"Hey." He says. His hand rubs my jaw. "I know you don't love me, how could you? You don't have to worry about it." I close my eyes. He kisses me and I pull him on top of me. Now this doesn't feel so right. I stop for a moment. He sighs. "Did I mess it up?" he asks. I don't move.  
"Here I don't love you, is that better?" he asks. He is trying so hard to make this happen. I gulp. Then I smile. I know what will put me back in the mood. I look at him.  
"Do that thing with your tongue again." I say. He smiles and kisses me. His smooth tongue enters my mouth. I moan. He removes my ripped tank top. I need to get a new one. He kisses my jaw. I unbutton his jeans and unzip them. I use my feet to pull down the jeans. I rub his privates over his underwear. He moans uncontrollably. He unclicks my bra. I roll on top of him. I sit up. I think about ripping his shirt off. I cross my arm.  
"What?" he asks breathlessly. I laugh at myself.  
"I was thinking about ripping that shirt off but I like it too much." I say. He laughs. He pulls it off. When his chest is exposed, I hold my breath and when he smiles, my face gets hot.  
"You okay?" he asks. I lean down to his ear. I pull down his underwear.  
"Make love to me." I whisper. I am panting with his anticipation. His facial expression is serious, and when I pull away he grabs my arms and rolls me under him. He slides down to my legs. He unbuttons my pants. He rips them off and throws then behind him. He doesn't break eye contact. His hands travel up my leg and he uses his teeth to pull down my underwear. I watch him and I can't help but breathe heavily. His lips lightly trace up my leg. I moan.  
I think he is going to go down on me but instead he grabs my thighs, spreads my legs a little and pulls me in. I moan loudly. After thrusting into me a few times, he grabs my wrists and pulls me up. Our noses touch. My stomach stirs with excitement. I bite his neck and lightly tug on his hair. I hear him chuckle out of pleasure.  
"I can't believe I like my hair being pulled." He says. He groans as he pushes. I smile.  
"What Susie didn't try it?" I ask. He shakes his head.  
"When she did I told her not to touch the hair. You just have a look that you can give anyone and they will walk through fire for you." He says. My grin widens.  
"You would through fire for me?" I giggle. His face grows serious, and he stops thrusting.  
"I took pounding for you." He says. He looks away. I grab his jaw.  
"What do pounding for you?" He says. He looks away. I grab his jaw.  
"What do you mean?" I ask him.  
"When you left the Vault everyone was questioned and Officer Kendall saw you run out of my apartment. He wanted to know if you were planning rebellion with the Tunnel Snakes. He uh well he tried to beat it out of me." He explains.  
"What fucking idiot. You were okay? How bad did they hurt you?" I ask. He laughs at my concern.  
"I'm fine. I got a few bruises a few cuts, I think I have a scar, but I'm fine." He says. My eyebrows rise when I hear he has a scar.  
"Where's your scar?" I ask. He laughs. He points under his chin and I see a pink line. My finger rubs it.  
"You are really cute when you are worried." He says. I smile.  
"I think we wasted too much time on this conversation." He says. My smile turns into a smirk. I wrap my arms around his neck. We continue.  
When he kisses me, his tongue slithers in my mouth. When he tries to pull away I bit his lip. He moans and pins me down and bites hard on my neck. I whimper. My legs wrap around his back. I was closer to hitting the peak and with every thrust I cry out. My hands escape from his and I claw his back.  
"Oh fuck. Ahh, uuhh B…Butch. Fuck." I pant. It's when he kisses me is when I stop talking. I scratch his back. He moans.  
"Oh, Danny…" he says. I feel he might drop the L bomb and I roll on top of him but we roll off the bed. We both laugh. He kisses my neck while I tug at his hair. Then the climax was closing in, both of us. We end with me screaming and Butch yelling, "Fuck!"  
We lie together panting. We look at each other, tired and extremely pleased. He moves the strands of my hair out of my face. He strokes my cheek. I close my eyes and nestle my head on his should and neck. Butch asks a question that catches me off guard.  
"How many guys have you had sex with since you been out here?" he asks. I pull away and look at him. His expression is serious.  
"Is that any of your business?" I ask. He smiles. I sigh. "One. Crazy Wolfgang." I say. He laughs.  
"Really? Him?" he asks. I feel insulted.  
"He is actually quite charming." I defend. He gives me a really look. Then I laugh. "Yeah you're right. The only way I got through it was that I imagined that he was someone else. But he did know what he was doing, I'll give him that." I say.  
"Really? Who did you imagine?" he asks. I laugh.  
"You." I say. He smiles and kisses me.  
"What was he so good at?" he asks. I blush and look down. "Tell me, I bet I'm better." I look at him with a brow raised.  
"He was good at eating me out." I say bluntly. He raises a brow.  
"Well, he might be okay, but you haven't been gone down on by a tunnel snake." He says. I stop him.  
"Uh Freddie." I remind him. He smirks.  
"Freddie wasn't a real tunnel snake then. He was a newbie." He says and he starts. I moan. He doesn't stop. I yell in pleasure. I pull his hair. Butch was right. I now know why the Tunnel Snakes are called Tunnel Snakes. Tunnel Snakes rule!


End file.
